HOUSE OF COMMONS

Bellamy's Cafeteria (Contractors)

Tom Cox: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what requirements were stipulated to contractors working on the refurbishment of Bellamy's cafeteria with respect to (a) hours of work, (b) noise levels of works and (c) dust levels; and if he will make a statement on when the work will be finished.

Derek Conway: The contractor is required to comply with the Control of Noise (Code of Practice for Construction and Open Sites) Order 1984 Regulations and BS 5228, the Code of Practice for Noise Control on Construction and Demolition Sites. The contractor is further required to comply with any local authority restrictions. Construction methodology and timing of work are reviewed with the contractor on a regular basis.
	The control of dust is covered by conditions in the contract relating to nuisance under which the contractor is required to take all reasonable precautions to prevent such nuisance. The contractor also has responsibilities under health and safety legislation.
	One of the project's stipulations is that the work to refurbish Bellamy's Kitchen must be completed within the summer months when the House is in recess, including the two week September return; a period of some 10 weeks. Given the significant amount of work involved maximum flexibility has been afforded: 24 hours per day, seven days a week working is available.
	The works were forecast to be completed by the return of the House.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Fallen Stock

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress her Department has made in establishing a national fallen stock collection scheme; how many and what proportion of livestock farms have registered; and what plans she has for its future development.

Ben Bradshaw: The Board of the National Fallen Stock Company, in partnership with Government and the livestock industry, remain on target to launch the scheme this autumn. We will not know how many farmers will register until the scheme begins. Future development of the scheme is a matter for the Board but the Government are committed to providing £20 million over three years to help establish it on a firm footing.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Iraq

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what effects instability in Iraq is having on his Department's work on reconstruction.

Hilary Benn: Present levels of instability in Iraq have slowed the pace of reconstruction. However, DFID's programmes are designed to be flexible and responsive to the current difficult security environment. Extensive measures are in place to safeguard the well-being of DFID employees and contractors working in Iraq. In southern Iraq, we are about to complete a substantial programme of infrastructure rehabilitation; and capacity-building and employment generation projects are well under way. Capacity-building support to key Iraqi ministries in Baghdad, and support for civil society, the judiciary and independent media, are also continuing.

Iraq

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much from departmental sources was spent in Iraq from June to September.

Hilary Benn: In the four months June to September this year, DFID disbursed a total of £15.95 million on Iraq. £15.5 million of this was programme funds, and £0.45 million was administrative costs.
	In the three months between the handover of power to the Iraqi Interim Government on 28 June and the end of September, DFID disbursed a total of £11.7 million, of which £11.35 million was programme funds and £0.36 million was administrative costs.

Ethiopia

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is giving to Ethiopia; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: UK development assistance to Ethiopia is increasing rapidly from £44 million in 2003–04 to £85 million in 2005–06. Half of our support is direct support to the Government of Ethiopia's budget to enable them to increase their pro-poor spending with additional cooperation focusing on food security, capacity building and education plus support to tackle HIV/AIDS.

Caribbean (Extreme Weather)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has given to British dependencies and Commonwealth countries in (a) the Caribbean and (b) Central America affected by extreme weather conditions in the last year; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Details of DFID's disaster relief to Caribbean countries that have been seriously affected by recent Hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne were provided to the House in the oral statement of 14 September 2004 and written statement of 16 September 2004 by the Secretary of State for International Development. A further written statement, updating the House, was provided on 12 October 2004.
	In addition to the responses to the recent hurricanes, DFID also provided some £420,000 of humanitarian assistance to Haiti, in May 2004, following severe flooding. This humanitarian assistance supported the flood relief and recovery programmes of Action Aid, Save the Children Fund and the World Food Programme for the provision of basic services, food, and water and sanitation interventions.

Aid Projects

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of co-operation between his Department and the EU on aid projects.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID continually monitors and assesses cooperation with the European Union on aid projects. At a political level, the Secretary of State and I regularly meet with counterparts from other EU Member States and the European Commission. There is similar contact at an official level both at headquarters and field levels.

Nigeria

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on the outcome of his recent visit to Nigeria.

Hilary Benn: 80–90 million Nigerian's live in poverty; only India and China have more poor.
	Whether Africa attains the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) depends on Nigeria. Reforms are underway in Nigeria and there is an opportunity for change. The Government have launched their poverty reduction strategy and restored macroeconomic stability.
	Donor and creditor support is critical to maintain the momentum of reform. DFID has doubled its aid to £70 million next year.
	The UK is also committed to helping Nigeria to reach a sustainable solution to its debt problems through the Paris Club's Evian Approach.

Agriculture Strategy

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development, if he will make a statement on his Department's agriculture strategy.

Hilary Benn: Following the launch of the 2003 Agriculture Policy Paper "Agriculture and poverty reduction: unlocking the potential", the Department for International Development has engaged in a consultative process seeking the views of others on ways to improve the effectiveness of our assistance to agriculture which will culminate in a new Agriculture Strategy Paper. This process has included an electronic forum that engaged over 550 participants and the development of 14 working papers providing material for the strategy. The first working papers are now available on our consultation website, and the remainder will be released shortly. DFID acknowledges the valuable input of NGOs, notably members of the UK Food Group, in this process. A summary draft of the strategy is being prepared, and we anticipate releasing this very shortly for wider consultation.

Millennium Development Goals

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development, if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of aid given (a) through the EU and (b) bilaterally in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: All EU member states, as well as the European Commission, are currently drawing up detailed reports on the contribution towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals. These are being prepared to a common format, agreed in advance, in order to allow comparisons to be drawn between the approaches and successes of each Member State, as well as the European Commission, in their respective development programmes.
	The reports are due to be published later this year. There is no recent comparative analysis available at present which can match the thoroughness or comprehensiveness of these forthcoming reports.

Afghanistan

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's support programmes for alternative livelihoods in Afghanistan.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's Alternative Livelihoods programme is an essential part of our overall strategy to reduce and eventually eliminate poverty in Afghanistan. It is also a key component of the fight against drugs. In 2003/04 DFID provided £6 million to our alternative livelihoods programme. We have budgeted for an additional £20 million over the next two years.
	DFID is working with the Afghan Government to build the capacity of the key agricultural ministries (£2.1 million over three years) and have helped establish the Alternative Livelihoods working group, which acts as a forum for the Afghan Government, donors, UN Agencies and non-governmental organisations to co-ordinate activities and develop a strategic framework for the creation of sustainable alternative livelihoods.
	DFID is funding pilot programmes in Badakshan (£1 million over two years) and Eastern Hazarajat (£3.7 million over four years) to develop agricultural and non-farm alternatives to poppy cultivation. These projects are being supported by a microfinance programme targeted at the rural poor (£3 million over two years) and a fund for practical research into alternative livelihoods (£3 million over three years).
	DFID is also working with village development councils through the National Solidarity Programme (£13 million over three years) to help communities address their own development priorities. To date 5,947 village development councils have been elected, 3,258 projects have been approved and $29 million in block grants has been disbursed to fund community projects including the construction of roads, water supply systems, irrigation canals, hydro-power for electricity, public baths, schools and weaving facilities.

Forests (Africa)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he is taking to try to prevent the loss of forest cover in Africa.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID supports developing countries in Africa to make forest resources contribute more effectively to poverty reduction. DFID's work aims to improve the livelihoods of poor people and to maintain—and increase where possible—the national and global public goods provided by forests. DFID is helping to develop forest policy, implement reforms, and strengthen forest governance in Ghana, Cameroon, Malawi, Kenya and South Africa.
	DFID supports the Africa Forest Law Enforcement and Governance process to help raise awareness of the problems of illegal logging and the commitment to tackle them. In addition DFID invests about £29 million a year in the Global Environment Facility, a significant share of which is spent on forest conservation.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Aboriginal Artefacts

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the lenders on securing the return of two bark etchings and an Aboriginal ceremonial headdress on loan to the Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia; why such items have not been returned; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: pursuant to her reply, 16 September 2004, Official Report, c. 1699–1700W
	In my previous reply I stated that the current Emergency Declarations were due to expire on 18 September. This was incorrect. The Declarations in question expired on 14 September, and further Declarations were imposed on 15 September.

Computer Misuse

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many cases of computer misuse there were in (a) her Department and (b) Ofcom this year to date; how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action; and what measures are in place to (i) discourage and (ii) monitor computer misuse.

Richard Caborn: (a) There have been no cases of computer misuse in the Department to date this year.
	All staff in the Department must sign our Acceptable Use Policy before e-mail or internet access is provided. The policy has to be signed off on an annual basis thereafter.
	All use of departmental IT systems is monitored and filtering systems are in place to prevent access to unacceptable material.
	(b) With respect to Ofcom, the matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom) as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

TRANSPORT

Information and Communication Specialists

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many information and communication technology specialists are in full-time employment in the Department.

Charlotte Atkins: 401 information and communication technology specialists are in full-time employment in the Department for Transport.

Rural Bus Subsidy

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) the allocation of the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant to each local authority has been to date and (b) the percentage level each local authority has set for the revenue cost of an individual bus service to be met by the farebox before the subsidy is allocated to it.

Charlotte Atkins: The following table shows the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant allocations since its introduction in 1998. A table indicating the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant allocations awarded to authorities in each year since 1998–99 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	It is for each authority to determine its own criteria for deciding whether particular services should be supported by the grant allocated to them, taking account of local needs and priorities and value for money. Information is not collected centrally on the criteria adopted by individual authorities. The percentage of cost met from the farebox is just one of the options available to authorities in this respect.
	
		1998–99 to 2004–05
		
			  Total (£) 
		
		
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1,229,047 
			 Bedfordshire 3,883,929 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 342,174 
			 Bracknell Forest 351,047 
			 Brighton and Hove 24,367 
			 Bristol 57,184 
			 Buckinghamshire 4,944,798 
			 Cambridgeshire 7,031,115 
			 Cheshire 5,378,991 
			 Cornwall 10,706,136 
			 Cumbria 8,394,196 
			 Darlington 444,227 
			 Derbyshire 6,302,441 
			 Devon 12,354,072 
			 Dorset 5,093,498 
			 Durham 5,300,250 
			 East Riding 4,685,122 
			 East Sussex 4,918,057 
			 Essex 9,288,720 
			 Gloucestershire 6,962,408 
			 Greater Manchester 1,243,651 
			 Halton 126,229 
			 Hampshire 7,842,559 
			 Hartlepool 147,930 
			 Herefordshire 4,580,866 
			 Hertfordshire 3,890,417 
			 Isle of Wight 1,396,463 
			 Kent 11,415,764 
			 Lancashire 6,671,496 
			 Leicestershire 4,876,351 
			 Lincolnshire 10,472,185 
			 Medway 799,229 
			 Merseyside 731,887 
			 Middlesbrough 101,198 
			 Milton Keynes 629,730 
			 North East Lincolnshire 382,201 
			 Norfolk 13,978,903 
			 North Lincolnshire 2,257,283 
			 North Somerset 1,164,853 
			 North Yorkshire 12,101,786 
			 Northamptonshire 6,109,129 
			 Northumberland 4,213,196 
			 Nottinghamshire 4,587,545 
			 Oxfordshire 8,126,970 
			 Peterborough 765,885 
			 Plymouth 85,539 
			 Poole 65,065 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 495,357 
			 Rutland 942,711 
			 Shropshire 5,526,846 
			 Somerset 8,968,127 
			 South Gloucestershire 1,678,298 
			 South Yorkshire 2,970,265 
			 Staffordshire 7,094,494 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 298,316 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 47,549 
			 Suffolk 10,535,383 
			 Surrey 5,385,904 
			 Swindon 489,008 
			 Telford and The Wrekin 666,778 
			 Thurrock 334,721 
			 Torbay 75,728 
			 Tyne and Wear 721,908 
			 Warrington 539,147 
			 Warwickshire 5,245,725 
			 West Berkshire 2,039,524 
			 West Midlands 770,575 
			 West Sussex 5,079,425 
			 West Yorkshire 4,999,197 
			 Wiltshire 6,911,485 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 461,573 
			 Wokingham 690,691 
			 Worcestershire 5,922,724 
			 York 652,750

Transport Schemes

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the cost to benefit ratios of all the transport schemes which he has approved in principle within the last three years, including those agreed for implementation by Transport for London.

Tony McNulty: The Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) is one input into a decision about whether or not a project should go ahead. It shows those impacts that have established monetary valuations. There are often other significant impacts to which a monetary value cannot easily be attached, but which are accounted for when assessing overall value for money (vfm). Environmental and regeneration impacts for example could be very large and could alter the assessment of vfm from that implied by looking at the BCR alone. In some cases, where the other impacts of the scheme are sufficiently negative, a high BCR may not mean a scheme offers good vfm. Conversely, in other cases, where the positive impacts are sufficiently large a low BCR may not mean that the scheme offers poor vfm.
	In addition to the value for money assessment, there are other considerations that affect whether a project should go ahead, including:
	Practicality
	Deliverability
	Public acceptability
	Distributional and equity impacts
	Affordability and finance sustainability
	The achievement of central government, local and regional objectives
	The amelioration of identified problems
	The following table reports the latest estimates available of the BCR of the transport schemes, which the Department for Transport has approved in principle or provisionally approved within the last three years.
	For local schemes the local authority does a value for money appraisal of the scheme using the New Approach to Appraisal (NATA)—launched in 1998—and submits that to the Department for independent scrutiny. The appraisal is assessed by the Department, and the BCRs listed are the Department's own best estimate, using the evidence presented in the promoter's appraisal and the information uncovered during the Department's own assessment process.
	The schemes were appraised in different years and due to changes in the Government's appraisal methodology during this period, the BCRs reported have not all been calculated on the same basis, so they are not directly comparable between schemes.
	The list does not include those schemes agreed for implementation by Transport for London, since the decision to approve such schemes is the responsibility of the Mayor. The exception has been the Thames Gateway Bridge, where the Department have offered to provide some Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits, and borough streetlighting PFIs. These are included in the table.
	
		
			 Mode/Scheme Benefit cost ratio 
		
		
			 Heavy Rail 
			 Crossrail c.2 
			 West Coast Route Modernisation (enhancement element) >2 
			 Thameslink Upgrade 1.7 
			 Strategic Roads (Motorway and Trunk Roads) 
			 Al Adderstone to Belford Dualling 2.4 
			 Al Bramham—Wetherby (including Wetherby Bypass) 6.1 
			 Al Dishforth—Leeming 1.5 
			 Al Leeming to Barton 1.5 
			 Al Kippings Cross to Lamberhurst Bypass 2.5 
			 Al Morpeth to Felton Dualling 2.2 
			 Al Stannington Junction 6.3 
			 A1/A19/A1068 Seaton Burn Junction Improvement 2.4 
			 A14 Ellington—Fen Ditton Improvement 1.8 
			 A19/A184 Testos Junction Improvement 5.6 
			 A21 Tonbridge to Pembury 1.6 
			 A23 Handcross to Warninglid Widening 4.4 
			 A27 Southerham to Beddingham Improvement 7.7 
			 A30 Garland Cross to Chiverton Cross 2.6 
			 A30 Temple to Higher Carblake Improvement 1.2 
			 A30/A382 Merrymeet Junction 2.5 
			 A419 Blunsdon 3.3 
			 A419 Commonhead Junction 3.9 
			 A421 Bedford to M1 Junction 13 4.2 
			 A428 Caxton Common to Hardwick Improvement 3 
			 A45/A46 Tollbar End Improvement 3 
			 A453 Widening (Ml J24 to A52 Nottingham) 1.5 
			 A47 Blofield to North Burlingham Dualling 7.1 
			 A505 Dunstable Northern Bypass (A5 to Ml Link) 4.3 
			 A5117/A550 Deeside Park Junctions Improvement 3 
			 A57/A628 Mottram in Longdendale, Hollingworth and  Tintwistle Bypass 9 
			 A590 High and Low Newton Bypass 3 
			 A64 Colton Lane Grade Separated Junction 1.2 
			 A64 Rillington Bypass 1.3 
			 A66 Carkin Moor to Scotch Corner Improvement 5.8 
			 A66 Greta Bridge to Stephen Bank Improvement 6.9 
			 A66 Long Newton Junction 1.4 
			 A66 Temple Sowerby and Improvement at Winderwath 1.4 
			 A69 Haydon Bridge Bypass 1.4 
			 M1 J19 Improvement 1.8 
			 M1 J21–30 2.6 
			 M1 Junction 10 to 13 Widening 4.3 
			 M1 Junction 6a to 10 Widening 2.1 
			 M20 Junction 10A 4.2 
			 M25 J16–23 Widening 5.5 
			 M25 J1b-3 Widening 9.9 
			 M25 J23–27 Widening 2.2 
			 M25 J27–30 Widening 2.4 
			 M25 J5–7 Widening 4.6 
			 M4 Junction 18 Eastbound Diverge 2.6 
			 M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge) 6 
			 M40/A404 Handy Cross Junction Improvement 3.7 
			 M5 Junctions 17–18 Northbound Climbing Lane 7.5 
			 M5 Junctions 19–20 Northbound Climbing Lane 2.3 
			 M5 Junctions 19–20 Southbound Climbing Lane 3.1 
			 Local Major Roads (£5 million plus) 
			 Rugeley Eastern Bypass Stage 2 3.6 
			 Burntwood Bypass Phase 3 8.1 
			 Biddulph Inner Bypass 1.8 
			 Tunstall Northern Bypass 8.9 
			 Hanley-Bentilee Link Road 2.2 
			 Nar Ouse Regeneration Road 1.5 
			 East Luton Corridor (South) 1.9 
			 A142 Fordham Bypass , 1.8 
			 A505 Baldock Bypass 2.4 
			 A1198 Papworth Everard Bypass 1.5 
			 Selly Oak Relief Road 3.6 
			 Cradley Heath Relief Road 4.5 
			 Brierley Hill Access Road 3.3 
			 Darlaston SDA 1.4 
			 Scotswood Road Dualling (Newcastle) 6.2 
			 Sedgefield-Wynyard Improvement (Durham) 1.5 
			 Sunderland Southern Radial Route (Sunderland) 3.1 
			 Chilton Bypass (Durham) 4 
			 North Middlesbrough Accessibility Improvement 3.2 
			 Sunderland Central Route 1.9 
			 Pegswood Bypass (Northumberland) 2.7 
			 Northern Gateway (North Tyneside) 2.3 
			 A391 St. Austell to A30 Link Road 1.2 
			 Weymouth Relief Road 4.2 
			 A350 Semington-Melksham Diversion 3.5 
			 A228 Ropers Lane Phase 1 1.9 
			 East Kent Access Phase 1 2.9 
			 A228 Leybourne and West Mailing Corridor Improvement 2 
			 Kiln Lane Link, Epsom 1.9 
			 A24 Ashington to Southwater 10 
			 A24 Horsham—Capel Improvement 4 
			 Stoke Hammond/Linslade Western Bypass 2.9 
			 Bletchley Link 3 
			 M4 Junction 11 and Mereoak Roundabout 3.3 
			 A34 Alderley Edge Bypass 1.3 
			 A57 Cadishead Way 4.3 
			 A58 Blackbrook Diversion 2.4 
			 Ashton Northern Bypass Stage 2 1.9 
			 Wigan Inner Relief Road 2.9 
			 Sheffield Northern Inner Relief Road Stage 2&3 1.4 
			 A612 Gedling Transport Improvement Scheme 6.1 
			 Mansfield Ashfield Regeneration Route 2.5 
			 A43 Corby LinkRoad 3.4 
			 A509 Isham Bypass 3.8 
			 Ilkeston-Awsworth Link Road 0.8 
			 Markham Employment Growth Zone -3.5 
			 Rearsby Bypass 9.2 
			 Upperton Road Viaduct Major Maint. Scheme 2 
			 Oakham Bypass 2.1 
			 A158/C541 Coastal Access Improvement (Partney) 3.6 
			 Major Maintenance Schemes 
			 Walton Bridge, Surrey 1.5 
			 Undercliff Drive, Isle of Wight 2.9 
			 Freckleton Street Bridge, Blackburn 2.1 
			 Upperton Road Viaduct, Leicester 2.2 
			 Local Transport Schemes—Transport Interchange 
			 Four Lanes Ends 1.2 
			 Barnsley Interchange 1.8 
			 Sheffield station—Improved pedestrian access 1.8 
			 Wolverhampton 1.7 
			 Ryde Interchange 0.4 
			 Coleshill Interchange 1.6 
			 Norwich City Centre Interchange 1.4 
			 North Manchester Business Park 1.1 
			 Liverpool South Parkway 1.8 
			 Local Transport—Bus 
			 A638 Great North Road Quality Bus 5.7 
			 Leeds A65 (Kirkstall Road) 1.5 
			 South East Manchester (SEMMMS) 7.7 
			 Manchester Northern Oribital Scheme 2.6 
			 Hampshire A3 Bus Priority Corridor 1.8 
			 Luton Dunstable Translink 1.5 
			 Cambridge to Huntingdon Rapid Transit 2.4 
			 JETTS Quality Bus Corridor 2.6 
			 Getting Northampton to Work 1.7 
			 Coventry Quality Bus Network 1 
			 Milton Keynes Quality Bus Network 1.5 
			 West Yorks Yellow School Bus 3 
			 Local Transport Schemes—Integrated Transport 
			 Masshouse Circus 3.4 
			 Walsall Town Centre Package 6.7 
			 Luton Town Centre 1.8 
			 Local Transport Schemes—Smartcard 
			 YORCARD 1.1 
			 Light Rail 
			 Leeds Supertram 1.3 
			 South Hampshire Rapid Transport 1.6 
			 Merseytram 1.1 
			 London 
			 Thames Gateway Bridge 9 
			 Ealing PFI streetlighting project 5.5 
			 Lambeth PFI streetlighting project 8.4 
			 Enfield PFI streetlighting project 4.8 
			 Barnet PFI streetlighting projects 3.5 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Markham Employment Growth Zone: BCR -3.54
	The Markham Employment Growth Zone originated as a response to the Coalfield Task Force's Report "Making the Difference—A New Start for England's Coalfield Communities". It is principally a regeneration scheme for the former colliery and surrounding land. The method of calculating the BCR does not capture the wider economic benefits that the scheme will deliver.
	2. Ilkeston-Awsworth Link Road: BCR 0.81
	Ilkeston-Awsworth Link Road is justified largely on environmental grounds. The method of calculating the BCR does not capture the environmental benefits that the scheme will deliver.
	3. Ryde Esplanade Transport Interchange: BCR 0.36
	Ryde Esplanade Interchange is the main entry point to the Isle of Wight. It is primarily aimed at improving the quality of facilities, increasing security and encouraging tourism, which accounts for 24 per cent. of the island's economy. The method of calculating the BCR does not capture these wider benefits the scheme will deliver.
	4. Merseytram: BCR 1.1
	The scheme has significant benefits that are not included in the monetised BCR. These include significant regeneration and social inclusion benefits, as well as beneficial impacts on air quality and greenhouse gases.

Underground Schemes

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's policy is on new urban underground schemes as a practical solution to future transport management.

Charlotte Atkins: It would be for local transport authorities, including Passenger Transport Authorities and the Mayor for London, to propose new urban underground schemes as part of their plans. Each scheme would need to be considered on the basis of its value for money, including its wider benefits, and affordability. The cost of such schemes means it is unlikely they would be justified except on corridors with the highest level of demand.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Chagos Islanders

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which departmental Ministers have responsibility for discussions with West Sussex county council about the costs of looking after Chagos Islanders arriving at Gatwick.

Phil Hope: Officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Government Office for the South East, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department of Health, Department for Work and Pensions and the Prime Minister's Office met West Sussex county council on Thursday 30 September to discuss support for Chagos Islanders arriving at Gatwick airport.

Corporation of London (Planning Policy)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will initiate an inquiry into the planning policies and procedures of the Corporation of London.

Keith Hill: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to initiate an inquiry into the planning policies and procedures of the Corporation of London. As local authorities are elected autonomous bodies, the Government do not routinely comment on or investigate their day-to-day administration of the planning system. Local authorities are accountable to their electorate, their Auditor, and ultimately to the Courts.

Historic Areas (New Buildings)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will meet the Royal Institute of British Architects to discuss the standards and quality of new buildings in historic areas, with particular reference to the City of London.

Keith Hill: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to discuss these issues with the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Historic Areas (New Buildings)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will meet representatives of the construction industry to discuss their responsibilities for quality building in historic areas, with particular reference to the City of London.

Keith Hill: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to discuss these issues with the construction industry.

Traveller Sites (Buckinghamshire)

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) local authority and (b) private traveller sites there were in the Buckingham constituency in each year since 2002.

Keith Hill: The Gypsy and Traveller Count collects data by local authority area rather than by constituency. However, the following data collected from Aylesbury Vale district council are available:
	
		
			  Number of local authority sites Number of private sites 
		
		
			 2002 1 4 
			 2003 2 4 
			 2004 2 6

Traveller Sites (Buckinghamshire)

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many traveller (a) caravans and (b) families were on (i) authorised and (ii) unauthorised sites in the Buckingham constituency in each of the last three years.

Keith Hill: The Gypsy and Traveller Count collects data by local authority area rather than by constituency. However, the following data collected from Aylesbury Vale district council are available:
	
		
			  Authorised caravans Unauthorised caravans 
		
		
			 January 2002 19 11 
			 July 2002 19 10 
			 January 2003 32 45 
			 July 2003 26 18 
			 January 2004 21 10 
		
	
	Note:
	Information relating to the Count carried out in July 2004 will be published shortly.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliamentary Resource Unit

Martin Salter: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission to what grade of parliamentary pass staff working for the Parliamentary Resource Unit are entitled.

Archy Kirkwood: The staff working for the Parliamentary Resource Unit have a Members' Research Assistant photo-identity pass, either a 9B (permanent) or a 9D (temporary).

Recycling

Mike Hancock: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what quantity of (a) glass, (b) paper, (c) cardboard, (d) plastic, (e) metal and (f) other materials have been (i) recovered and (ii) recycled from the waste stream of the parliamentary estate in each of the last three years; what percentage this represents of total waste in each case; what plans there are to increase the amount recycled; and if he will make a statement.

Archy Kirkwood: In the last three financial years the quantities of waste recycled were as follows:
	
		
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 (4 months) 
		
		
			 Glass (tonnes) 256 173 61 
			 Paper and cardboard (tonnes) 263 379 121 
			 Metal (tonnes) 46 50 (1)— 
			 Oil (tonnes) 7 4 3 
			 In addition, fluorescent tubes and toner cartridges were recycled. 
			 Percentage of total waste recycled 25 26 28 
			 Percentage of waste recovered 100 100 100 
		
	
	(1) Extracted at incinerator. Not separately weighed.
	Recycling means that an item is reused. Recovery means that the waste is utilised in some way, for example incineration to generate electricity. Percentages of waste recycled and recovered exceed Government targets, which are to recycle 25 per cent. and recover 40 per cent.
	The Waste Recycling Steering Group meets regularly and works closely with its contractors to maximise the amount of waste which is recycled from the parliamentary estate.

Summer Works Programme

Roger Gale: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate he has made of the cost of the summer works programme in 2004; and what estimate he has made of what the cost would have been had the House not been sitting in September.

Archy Kirkwood: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, West (Sir John Butterfill) on 12 October 2004, Official Report, column 203W.

Summer Works Programme

Roger Gale: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost of the summer works programme in 2003 was; and what estimate he has made of what the cost would have been had the House not sat in September 2003.

Archy Kirkwood: The estimated cost of the summer works programme for 2003 was some £4.5 million and the estimate of the cost if the House had not sat in September was around £4.4 million.

WALES

Welsh Grand Committee

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many meetings of the Welsh Grand Committee there have been in each year since 1997; where the meetings were held; and what the subject matter of debate for each Committee meeting was.

Don Touhig: There have been 27 meetings of the Welsh Grand Committee, of which, all except five have taken place in Westminster.
	The meeting on 30 June 1997 took place in Mold; 5 May 1998 in Carmarthen; 13 July 1998 in Merthyr Tydfil; 22 February 1999 in Aberaeron; and 12 March 2001 took place in Cwmbran.
	The following list gives the dates and subject matter:
	30 June 1997—The Government's Programme for Wales
	18 November 1997—North Wales and The Government's Proposals for a Welsh Assembly
	16 December 1997—Government Expenditure in Wales 1998–99
	5 May 1998—The Rural Economy in Wales
	13 July 1998—New Economic Agenda in Wales
	16 December Government Expenditure in Wales 1999–2000 and 2001–02
	22 February 1999—Transport Policy in Wales
	14 December 1999—Government's Legislative Programme
	4 April 2000—Budget Statement
	16 May 2000—Welsh Economy
	20 June 2000—Social Exclusion in Wales
	19 July 2000—Comprehensive Spending Review
	11 December 2000—Queens Speech and the Chancellor's Pre-Budget Statement
	13 February 2001—Building Safer Communities
	12 March 2001—Budget Statement
	3 July 2001—Government's Legislative Programme
	28 November 2001—Pre-Budget Statement
	24 April 2002—Budget Statement
	16 July 2002—Draft National Health Service (Wales) Bill
	21 November 2002—Government's Legislative Programme
	5 December 2002—Pre-Budget Statement
	24 June 2003—Economy in Wales
	15 July 2003—Draft Public Audit (Wales) Bill
	16 December 2003—Government's Legislative Programme and Public Expenditure in Wales
	24 March 2004—Budget Statement
	6 July 2004—Richard Commission
	20 July 2004—Draft Transport (Wales) Bill.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum Seekers (Peterborough)

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library his Department's report on the impact on Peterborough of asylum seekers.

Des Browne: So far as can be ascertained, no such report exists. Recent press references to such a report appear to relate in fact to a Peterborough council funding application which extracted comments from the city's own Community Safety Audit of 2003. In this application, asylum seeking was listed as one of a combination of factors affecting service provision.

Drug Offences

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in the Thames Valley area were convicted of or cautioned for drug offences in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002; and what proportion this represented of persons convicted of or cautioned for all indictable offences in the Thames Valley in each year.

Caroline Flint: Figures for the number of persons cautioned and found guilty for drug offences for Thames valley area for 2000 to 2002 are set out in the following table.
	
		Number of persons cautioned or found guilty of drug offences and the proportion this represents of indictable offences, Thames Valley police force area, 2000 to 2002 1
		
			  Drug offences CautionedFound guiltyTotal Indictable offences CautionedFound guiltyTotal Persons cautioned or found guilty for drug offences as a percentage of persons cautioned or found guilty for indictable offences 
		
		
			 2000 951 1,112 2,063 4,673 7,852 12,525 16 
			 2001 717 1,206 1,923 3,460 8,199 11,659 16 
			 2002 1,037 1,292 2,329 3,948 8,727 12,675 18 
		
	
	(2) These data are on the principal offence basis.

Drug Offences

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in the Thames Valley Police Force home area were dealt with for supply offences involving Class A drugs in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002.

Caroline Flint: Figures for the number of persons cautioned and found guilty for Class A drug supply offences in the Thames valley area for 2000 to 2002 are set out in the table.
	The information is taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings and Cautions Database and relates to persons cautioned and found guilty for drug offences.
	
		Table 1: Number of persons cautioned or found guilty for supply(3) of Class A drug offences, Thames Valley Police Force area, 2000–02
		
			  Cautioned Found guilty Total 
		
		
			 2000 1 331 332 
			 2001 2 384 386 
			 2002 1 344 345 
		
	
	(3) Supply offences include possession with intent to supply.

Forensic Science Service

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the Government's outline business case for the future working of the Forensic Science Service.

Caroline Flint: It is not intended to publish the outline business case because of the need to maintain strict commercial confidentiality. However, a detailed summary will be submitted in evidence to the Science and Technology Select Committee, which has announced an inquiry into the Government's plans for the Forensic Science Service.

Juveniles (Detention)

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to improve the (a) accuracy, (b) quality and (c) legal integrity of warrants for detention of juveniles.

Paul Goggins: I will write to the hon. Member.

Mobile Phones

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been charged with using mobile telephones while driving since the law was introduced; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Data on the numbers of people charged by the police are not collected centrally.
	Data on police action (written warnings, fixed penalty notices and court proceedings) for 2003 on the new offence of driving while using a hand held mobile telephone will not be available until early 2005. Use of a hands free mobile phone is not part of the new specific offence.
	2004 data will be published in autumn 2005.

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish a business case for the National Offender Management Service.

Paul Goggins: The case for the establishment of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is outlined in Patrick Carter's independent report "Managing Offenders—Reducing Crime" published along with the Government response "Reducing Crime—Changing Lives" on 6 January 2004. The draft detailed business case will be presented to the NOMS Programme Board on 22 November for discussion.

National Offender Management Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the role will be of the regional offender managers in the National Offender Management Service structure.

Paul Goggins: The Regional Offender Managers (ROMS) will have the critical task of implementing end-to-end offender management across prisons and probation. They will hold the budgets for prison and probation and commission services from both sectors, using contracts and service level agreements to manage performance. They will be developing further contestability across prisons and probation. In addition, they will develop and implement the regional reducing re-offending action plans and regional resettlement strategies.

Police Searches

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue guidance to (a) the police and (b) the Crown Prosecution Service on the appropriate time limit within which police officers should search premises, after a suspect has emerged, in relation to section 32 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

Hazel Blears: As indicated in my earlier response to the hon. Member on 1 September 2004, Official Report, column 867W, paragraph 4.2. of Code of Practice B of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 sets out instruction on the use of powers under section 32 of PACE. That section provides that a constable may enter and search any premises in which a suspect was when arrested or immediately before they were arrested for evidence. Code B does not provide guidance of the meaning of "immediate" but we will consult on the need to expand on this when we next review the PACE Codes in summer 2005.

Prison Sentences

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) the average time served in prison under sentence, (b) the average time served in prison on remand, (c) the total time served in prison and (d) the average sentence length of receptions into prison under sentence for young offenders aged 18 to 21 was in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Information on the average time served in prison by young offenders aged 18 to 21 discharged is readily available only for those under sentence as provided in the tables.
	
		Average time served in prison under sentence by young offenders aged 18 to 20(4) discharged from determinate sentences on completion of sentence or on licence, England and Wales
		
			  Average time served under sentence (months) 
			  Including remand time Excluding remand time 
		
		
			 1999 6.6 5.0 
			 2000 6.2 4.8 
			 2001 5.9 4.7 
			 2002 5.9 4.8 
			 2003 5.9 4.8 
		
	
	(4) Also includes 21-year-olds classified as young offenders on discharge.
	
		Average sentence length of receptions into prison of young offenders aged 18 to 20 under determinate sentences,England and Wales
		
			  Average sentence length (months) 
		
		
			 1999 11.5 
			 2000 11.4 
			 2001 12.0 
			 2002 12.8 
			 2003 13.0

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners declared themselves to be of a particular religion when they entered prison in the last 12 months; and which religions these were.

Paul Goggins: The religious affiliation recorded on the prison establishments IT system for prisoners first received into prison between July 2003 and June 2004 is shown in the table.
	
		First receptions to prison establishments, by religion—England and Wales, July 2003 to June 2004
		
			  
		
		
			 Total 136,999 
			 All Christian 71,613 
			 Anglican 44,315 
			 Free Church 1,507 
			 Roman Catholic 22,486 
			 Other Christian 3,305 
			 Buddhist 523 
			 Hindu 670 
			 Jewish 211 
			 Muslim 10,098 
			 Sikh 960 
			 Other non-Christian 482 
			 Non-recognised 338 
			 No religion 52,102 
			 Not recorded 2

Prisons

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of (a) attempted supply of illegal drugs and (b) use of illegal drugs were recorded in each prison in England in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The following table provides details on attempts to supply drugs into prisons in the last three years.
	Data are collated on a national basis. Information relating to individual prisons is not held centrally and I shall write to the hon. Member when it is available and place a copy in the Library.
	
		
			  Number of incidents in visits Number of visitors involved Number of prisoners found guilty of drug smuggling through visits Number of prisoners found guilty of supplying drugs within prison 
		
		
			 2001–02 3,262 3,904 1,169 39 
			 2002–03 2,762 3,502 1,030 18 
			 2003–04 2,691 3,598 997 22 
		
	
	Information on the use of illegal drugs in prisons is provided by the Mandatory Drug Testing programme. The following table sets out the total number of samples which tested positive in each of the last three financial years. Only random samples provide a comparative measure of performance.
	
		
			 Establishment 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Altcourse 192 221 193 
			 Askham Grange 24 12 6 
			 Acklington 1,177 114 158 
			 Albany 3 1 11 
			 Ashfield 148 103 98 
			 Ashwell 75 118 145 
			 Aylesbury 36 94 52 
			 Belmarsh 186 174 117 
			 Buckley Hall 120 32 41 
			 Blundeston 56 35 15 
			 Bedford 112 73 89 
			 Blantyre House 7 11 5 
			 Brockhill 28 39 55 
			 Bristol 111 78 98 
			 Birmingham 162 59 272 
			 Bullingdon 147 52 134 
			 Brinsford 107 77 74 
			 Blakenhurst 356 635 405 
			 Bullwood Hall 38 50 8 
			 Brixton 1,517 125 120 
			 Chelmsford 125 132 119 
			 Cardiff 171 160 206 
			 Camp Hill 100 38 36 
			 Cookham Wood 15 23 5 
			 Coldingley 72 79 99 
			 Castington 38 36 67 
			 Channings Wood 112 49 32 
			 Canterbury 115 109 99 
			 Dartmoor 60 75 91 
			 Dovegate 93 125 204 
			 Drake Hall 55 37 32 
			 Durham 235 151 140 
			 Doncaster 424 365 441 
			 Dorchester 67 53 66 
			 Deerbolt 66 66 53 
			 Dover 63 0 0 
			 Downview 13 49 43 
			 Erlestoke 83 51 88 
			 Standford Hill 126 154 104 
			 Eastwood Park 24 38 82 
			 East Sutton Park 21 2 12 
			 Everthorpe 182 74 63 
			 Exeter 110 46 71 
			 Elmley 272 189 131 
			 Forest Bank 413 439 625 
			 Ford 99 127 193 
			 Foston Hall 45 5 20 
			 Frankland 94 53 78 
			 Feltham 117 112 93 
			 Full Sutton 81 41 38 
			 Featherstone 99 68 39 
			 Garth 103 39 47 
			 Gloucester 51 59 52 
			 Guys Marsh 102 103 122 
			 Grendon 9 13 26 
			 Glen Parva 247 158 106 
			 Gartree 21 18 28 
			 Hollesley 53 69 58 
			 Huntercombe 63 67 64 
			 Moorland Open 69 51 57 
			 Hewell Grange 28 27 55 
			 Holme House 203 181 247 
			 Hindley 100 134 148 
			 Hull 84 75 91 
			 High Down 155 133 166 
			 Highpoint 126 165 199 
			 Haslar 2 0 0 
			 Haverigg 1,113 134 116 
			 Holloway 131 69 75 
			 Kirkham 105 141 249 
			 Kirklevington 11 7 15 
			 Lancaster 123 170 27 
			 Leicester 120 57 48 
			 Leeds 207 245 335 
			 Lancaster Farms 49 83 92 
			 Lowdham Grange 93 49 65 
			 Lindholme 85 119 61 
			 Lincoln 102 46 113 
			 Long Lartin 140 119 85 
			 Latchmere House 4 6 13 
			 Low Newton 85 74 51 
			 Liverpool 336 385 576 
			 Littlehey 49 30 37 
			 Lewes 216 75 160 
			 Leyhill 198 214 260 
			 Moorland 71 52 66 
			 Morton Hall 215 19 15 
			 Manchester 410 550 525 
			 Maidstone 46 50 61 
			 Mount 93 131 139 
			 Edmonds Hill — — 97 
			 New Hall 47 50 35 
			 Nottingham 137 132 126 
			 Northallerton 48 24 9 
			 North Sea Camp 56 47 135 
			 Norwich 160 100 83 
			 Onley 20 46 50 
			 Pare 76 91 177 
			 Portland 29 31 19 
			 Parkhurst 42 57 50 
			 Preston 114 71 100 
			 Kingston 25 35 42 
			 Pentonville 370 201 251 
			 Rochester 39 73 77 
			 Reading 341 28 21 
			 Rye Hill 98 51 63 
			 Ranby 166 158 112 
			 Risley 349 521 650 
			 Send 29 14 19 
			 Stafford 180 135 110 
			 Stoke Heath 20 27 22 
			 Stocken 101 29 33 
			 Swaleside 165 56 108 
			 Shepton Mallet 37 27 6 
			 Swinfen Hall 20 23 19 
			 Spring Hill 30 27 52 
			 Styal 101 65 89 
			 Sudbury 192 234 269 
			 Swansea 90 153 98 
			 Shrewsbury 119 143 164 
			 Thorn Cross 57 78 113 
			 Usk/Prescoed 25 31 63 
			 Verne 43 48 69 
			 Weare 108 34 59 
			 Wellingborough 122 54 45 
			 Winchester 127 66 129 
			 Wakefield 9 15 16 
			 Wealstun 134 163 116 
			 Woodhill 90 29 74 
			 Warren Hill — — 12 
			 Wayland 82 67 35 
			 Wymott 82 57 142 
			 Werrington 9 10 8 
			 Wolds 51 29 36 
			 Whitemoor 112 61 33 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 93 118 186 
			 Whatton 8 2 2 
			 Wandsworth 232 177 287 
			 Wetherby 32 28 17 
			 Total 14,370 12,882 14,644

Seat Belts

Harry Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) fixed penalty notices, (b) proceedings at magistrates courts and (c) written warnings for not wearing seat belts there were in England and Wales in 2003 and for each of the previous three years.

Hazel Blears: Available information on police action for the motoring offence of driving or riding in a motor vehicle while not wearing a seat belt for the calendar years 2000 to 2002 is given in the table.
	2003 data will not be available until early 2005.
	
		Fixed penalty notices, prosecutions and written warnings of driving or riding in a motor vehicle while not wearing a seat belt(5), England and Wales, 2000–02
		
			  2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Fixed penalty notices 155,300 144,400 126,400 
			 Prosecutions 5,700 5,200 4,700 
			 Written warnings 6,200 4,700 2,900 
		
	
	(5) Offences under s.14(3) and 15(2) and (4) of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Speed Cameras

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the possible effects of (a) forward facing and (b) rear facing speed camera flash on a driver driving at night.

Caroline Flint: No forward or rear-facing speed camera is type approved until it has undergone rigorous testing against set specifications that ensures its reliability and safety. The peak intensity and duration of the flash are less than levels which are commonly encountered from other sources when driving at night.

Speed Cameras

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the health and safety implications of speed cameras.

Caroline Flint: No speed enforcement equipment is type approved for use until it has undergone rigorous testing against set specifications by the Home Office Police Scientific Development Branch. This includes an assessment of health and safety factors to ensure that neither any operator nor any road user is put at risk by the operation of the equipment.

Violent Crime (Leicester)

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of violent crime in Leicester was in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Leicester is a Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. Recorded crime data at CDRP level has only been published from 1999–2000 onwards. Violent crime comprises violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. In 2003–04, at least 52 per cent. of all recorded violence against the person involved no injury.
	The available information is given in the table.
	
		Violent crime recorded by the police in Leicester
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 1999–2000 6,851 
			 2000–01 6,889 
			 2001–02 7,544 
			 2002–03 10,347 
			 2003–04 11,430 
		
	
	Note:
	Numbers of recorded crimes are affected by changes in reporting and recording practice. In particular, changes to the counting rules in 1998 and the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002 led to an increase in the number of crimes recorded by the police.
	The British Crime Survey (BCS) also provides data on the level of violent crime in England and Wales. However, due to the variability of specific offence figures at police force area level regional figures only are available. Data at regional level have been published as a rate per 10,000 adults since the 2001–02 BCS and are presented for the relevant region in the table.
	
		
			  Total BCS violence rate per 10,000 adults for the East Midlands Region 
		
		
			 2001–02 621 
			 2002–03 578 
			 2003–04 600 
		
	
	Note:
	The apparent difference between rates in 2002–03 and in 2003–04 is not statistically significant.
	Source:
	2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04 BCS interviews.
	Half of all violent incidents reported to the BCS during 2003–04 did not result in injury to the victim. However, this does not mean that public concern about violent crime is unjustified or that the ordeal of victims is not traumatic, even if injury has not occurred.

HEALTH

Adverse Drug Reactions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons only a proportion of adverse incident reports are investigated by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency as stated in its Annual Report and Accounts 2003–04.

Rosie Winterton: All reports of adverse incidents involving medical devices received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are categorised according to the level of risk associated with the event.
	Only the most serious of these incidents, involving actual, or the potential for, death or serious injury to patients or user, become the subject of in-depth investigations by medical device specialists within the MHRA. These are listed as "adverse incident reports—number investigated" in the MHRA's annual report.
	Typically, it is these investigations that often lead to the publication of advice to the health service.
	The majority of incident reports are subject to a standard investigation, led by the device manufacturer and supervised by the MHRA.
	Minor incidents that do not require immediate action are recorded on the MHRA's surveillance database for "information only" and, along with all other reported incidents, are subject to a continuous process of trend identification and analysis.
	Further details of medical device adverse incident reporting and investigation processes are published by the MHRA in Device Bulletin DB2004(01)—Adverse Incident Reports 2003. This contains more detailed figures for the calendar year 2003. A copy of this publication has been placed in the Library.

Air Ambulance Services

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how air ambulance services used by the NHS are funded in (a) the East Midlands and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Since 1 April 2002, the cost of clinical staff on air ambulances has been met by the national health service on a continuing basis.

Departmental Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the latest available 12 month figures are for the proportion of the Department's redundant documentation, waste paper and card that is recycled; and if he will make a statement on the Department's recycling policy.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's administrative estate has a cleaning contract, which encompasses waste management. Within this all-redundant documentation, paper and card is collected and processed for recycling.
	The Department has an active sustainable development policy based upon the requirements of the framework for sustainable development on the Government estate.

Food/Advertising Industries

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the meetings he held with representatives of (a) the food industry and (b) the advertising industry between 1 February and 1 May.

Rosie Winterton: No such meetings have taken place in the period specified.

Health Public Bodies

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 13 September 2004, Official Report, columns 1470–71W, on health public bodies, when decisions will be taken on how the savings from the Departmental review of arm's length bodies will be spent.

Rosie Winterton: The resources freed up for frontline investment as a result of the review of arm's length bodies (ALBs) will be part of the normal budget allocation process in the light of the 2004 spending review settlement.
	Planning for the implementation of the ALB review is underway and will involve ALBs, the devolved administrations and other interests. Implementation will be completed by 2007–08.

Health Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what strategies his Department uses to involve members of the public in decision making in local health services.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 12 October 2004
	We have established patients' forums to get the views of members of the public about health services and feed these back to national health service trusts. Primary care trust (PCT) patients' forums have a specific role to promote public involvement in local decision-making processes that affect their health.
	There is also a statutory duty on NHS trusts, PCTs, NHS foundation trusts and strategic health authorities to involve the public in decision making in local health services. It is then up to local bodies to implement this duty in ways that best meet local needs. In addition, democratically elected councillors who are members of overview and scrutiny committees have the function of scrutinising all matters relating to the planning, provision and operation of health services in the area of the local authority.

Information and Communication Technology

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many information and communication technology specialists are in full-time employment in the Department.

Rosie Winterton: There are 120 information and communication technology specialists in full-time employment in the Department.

Mysthenia Gravis

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision the Government is making to finance research projects into the (a) causes of, (b) consequences of and (c) treatments for mysthenia gravis.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for West Lancashire (Mr. Pickthall) on 4 October 2004, Official Report, column 1987W.

Packaging Regulations (Medicines)

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to amend regulations relating to the packaging of prescription drugs and proprietary medicines, with particular reference to issues of child safety.

Rosie Winterton: New legislation requiring the use of child resistant packaging was introduced in October 2003. Certain aspirin, paracetamol and iron-containing medicines must now be supplied in child resistant packaging. Medicines newly authorised must comply with the requirement now and for products already authorised, compliance must be achieved by October 2005. The Government will continue to keep the issue of child safety under review and if particular medicines are considered to pose a problem, the legal requirements may be revised.

Post-Laryngectomy Equipment

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make available to people who have had laryngectomies on prescription the base plate for the hands free valve.

Rosie Winterton: A number of base plates are currently listed in part IX of the Drug Tariff and therefore may be prescribed through the national health service. Some of these are compatible for use with the hands free valve for people who have had laryngectomies. It is for appliance manufacturers to apply for their products to be listed as an appliance in part IX of the Drug Tariff to enable them to be prescribed under the NHS. A NHS trust or foundation trust may provide base plates free of charge where appropriate.

Prostate Cancer

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to regulate the sale of do-it-yourself PSA tests.

Rosie Winterton: Prostate specific antigen test kits are in vitro diagnostic medical devices and as such they are regulated by the Medical Devices Regulations 2002.

Public Relations

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the salary costs to the Department were for employees working in public relations and publicity in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Information on staff working in the Department's communications directorate in public relations and publicity in each year since 1997 to 2002–03 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The total expenditure on communications directorate staff in 2003–04 was £4.07 million.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) capital limits and (b) earnings disregards are for each income related benefit; and on what date each of the limits and disregards was first set.

Chris Pond: The requested information has been placed in the Library.

Child Support Agency

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency enforcement cases against self employed non-resident parents there have been in the last three years; and what percentage have been successful in recovering payment.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 13 October 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency enforcement cases against self employed non-resident parents there have been in the last three years; and what percentage have been successful in recovering payment.
	We are unable to provide these figures as we do not record employment status on the relevant information system. However, I can tell you that the last 3 years:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Liability orders were granted by the court 7,814 
			 Third party debt orders lodged were lodged at court 608 
			 Charging orders were lodged at court 718 
			 Committal files have been referred to solicitors 328

Child Support Agency

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total amount is of maintenance arrears outstanding in respect of self-employed non-resident parents who are subject to or awaiting CSA enforcement action.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 13 October 2004
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total amount is of maintenance arrears outstanding in respect of self-employed non-resident parents who are subject to or awaiting Child Support Agency enforcement action.
	We are unable to provide the information as we do not separately identify those cases whose main source of income is from self-employment.

Child Support Agency

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency enforcement cases in respect of self-employed non-resident parents are outstanding.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 13 October 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency enforcement cases in respect of self-employed non-resident parents are outstanding.
	There are currently 14,856 cases with our specialist enforcement teams. I am unable to say how many of these derive their main source of income from self-employment.

Child Support Agency

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests for traces the Child Support Agency have made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in the last three years under the Service Level Agreement.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 13 October 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many requests for traces the Child Support Agency have made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in the last three years under the Service Level Agreement.
	In the period 1 April 2002 to 31 August 2004 a total of 1,319 referrals were made for information to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Child Support Agency

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency traces carried out for the Child Support Agency were successful; and how many led to further enforcement action.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 13 October 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency traces carried out for the Child Support Agency were successful; and how many led to further enforcement action.
	In the period 1 April 2002 to 31 August 2004 we made 1,319 referrals for information to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Of these 393 were successful in gaining the information sought. Our records do not show how many then led to enforcement action.

Pension/Benefit Payments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what deadlines have been set regarding the conversion to direct payment; and if he will make a statement on the progress made so far.

Chris Pond: The Department is on course to meet the Public Service Agreement target to pay 85 per cent. of our customers by direct payment by 2005.
	Research has shown that nine out of 10 of our customers who have chosen to receive their pension or benefit into an account have found it a more flexible, convenient and safer method of getting their money.
	Key figures on the progress of conversion to direct payment are available in the House of Commons Library updated every four weeks.

Pension/Benefit Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance his Department has given to pensioners with (a) mental and (b) physical health problems in choosing how they wish to have their pension paid.

Chris Pond: We have liaised with customer representative groups (including CAB, Help the Aged, Age Concern, MIND) to ensure there is a shared understanding of the needs of our customers.
	All customers including pensioners are being provided with all the information they need on all of their "account options", including which accounts can be used at post office branches. It will be up to the customers themselves to decide which type of account they wish to have their money paid into. Customers will need to look at all of the features of the different options and choose an account to suit their individual needs and circumstances.
	Cheque payments will be available from later this month for those customers who are unable to open or manage an account.

Pension/Benefit Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what procedures he has put in place to (a) detect and (b) monitor fraud in relation to chip and pin numbers for cards for withdrawal of pensions and benefits.

Chris Pond: Card fraud is entirely a matter for the banks, and for Post Office Ltd. in respect of the post office card account. The banking industry takes plastic card fraud seriously and is extremely active in managing it. Once conversion to chip and pin is complete cards should be even more secure from fraudulent activities.
	Direct Payment is far more secure than order books. We used to lose around £50 million a year on order book fraud and about 100 pensioners a week had their order books stolen. We will monitor Direct Payment closely and will take action as necessary to deal with fraud.

Pension/Benefit Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate his Department has made of how many pensioners do not have a bank account.

Chris Pond: In the UK, 91 per cent. of pensioners have a bank or building society account which is suitable to receive Direct Payments.
	It is evident that Direct Payment is becoming increasingly popular, particularly with pensioners. Around 80 per cent. 1 of pensioner new claims are being paid by Direct Payment.
	1 This figure was taken from the Family Resources survey 2002–03. DWP are the managers of this survey which is currently conducted by the Office of National Statistics and the National Centre for Social Research.
	Note:
	This information is from August 2004 data—GMS GB source, based on 100 per cent. of new claim records.

Pension/Benefit Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidelines his Department has issued to call-centre operatives to ensure objective information is provided to pensioners on whether to opt for a bank account or a post office account; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: All Department for Work and Pensions staff including call centre operatives have been provided with information on all of the account options available to the customer. The role of our staff is to provide factual information on the features of the different account options available to the customer. The customer can then decide which type of account they choose to have their money paid into based on their individual needs and circumstances.
	Independent research commissioned by DWP shows 93 per cent. of customers found that the information they received was clear and 93 per cent. were happy once they had transferred to Direct Payment.

Pension/Benefit Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pension and benefit recipients failed to respond to direct payment form requests and are being paid through weekly Giro payments.

Chris Pond: Key figures on the progress of conversion to Direct Payment are available in the Library updated every four weeks.
	We are continuing to contact existing customers to invite them to provide account details. Those customers who have not yet provided their account details will be contacted again to discuss their account options, unless they have already advised the Department that they genuinely cannot open or manage an account.

Pension/Benefit Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to the Department of transferring all pension and benefit accounts to direct payments.

Chris Pond: The total DWP one-off cost of the Payment Modernisation Programme over the full 10-year investment period 1999–2000 to 2009–10 is approximately £412 million.
	However, significant savings are expected from both administration costs of around £440 million per annum and a reduction in fraud of around £50 million per annum.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

A-Level Results

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of students achieved (a) 1 and (b) 1–3 A-E grades at A Level (i) in England and (ii) at schools and colleges based in the Buckingham constituency in each year since 2001–02; and if he will provide breakdowns of those figures between (A) independent schools and colleges and (B) state schools and colleges.

David Miliband: The percentage of students achieving (a) one and (b) one to three A-E grades at GCE/VCE A Level in independent schools and in maintained schools and FE Sector colleges in both England and the Buckingham constituency in 2001–02 and 2002–03:
	
		
			   One GCE/VCE A level (or equivalent) pass One to three GCE/VCE A level (or equivalent) passes 
			   England Buckingham constituency England Buckingham constituency 
		
		
			 2001/02 Independent schools 9.1 6.1 76.1 94.5 
			  Maintained schools and FE sector colleges 16.6 7.7 75.1 85.3 
			  All institutions 15.6 7.1 75.2 88.8 
			 2002/03 Independent schools 9.0 5.6 77.4 93.2 
			  Maintained schools and FE sector colleges 16.8 8.5- 76.5 81.5 
			  All institutions 15.9 7.5 76.6 85.3

AQA

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the errors made by AQA in marking key stage 2 English SATS tests at St. Martin's Junior School in Epsom; how many other schools have experienced similar levels of errors in marking; what steps he is taking to ensure that AQA improves its processes; and what steps he is taking to ensure that AQA compensate schools for additional administrative costs incurred as a result of the errors in marking.

David Miliband: I understand from the National Assessment Agency (NAA) that St. Martin's Junior School had 11 overall level changes for Key Stage 2 English.
	It is not possible to break down the number of schools experiencing similar levels of error in marking. I shall write to the hon. Member with overall national figures for 2004 level changes in Key Stage 2 English when they become available and also place a copy in the Library.
	The NAA, who are responsible, on behalf of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), for test administration, has awarded the 2005 contract for marking of the National Curriculum tests to Pearson Assessment and Testing. The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) is working closely with Pearson to ensure that all lessons learnt from 2004 will be fed in to improving test delivery in 2005.
	There is no provision for compensating schools for costs incurred by staff in checking pupils' scripts and preparing the application for review. However, where the outcome of the review shows that the quality of marking has not been to the expected standard, all review charges are refunded.

Education Funding Report

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the Audit Commission's findings at paragraphs 28, 29 and 30 on page 11 of its report Education Funding 2004.

David Miliband: The system of floors and ceilings referred to by the Audit Commission is in place to ensure that all councils receive an increase in funding each year and that there is stability in the funding of authorities. In setting the levels of floors and ceilings, Ministers are mindful of the need to make progression to the allocations implied by the formula in order to deliver the fairer distribution of funding which the formula review produced. We therefore agree with the Audit Commission that there is a balance to be struck in setting the level of the floors and ceilings.
	The minimum funding guarantee that was introduced in 2004–05 has brought stability and certainty to schools budgets. It was considered appropriate to put in place such stability given the funding difficulties experienced by some schools in 2003–04. As a result of the introduction of the minimum funding guarantee two thirds of schools nationally received an increase above the level of the minimum guarantee while the remaining third of schools received a per pupil increase in funding in line with the guarantee.
	Changes to a local education authority's funding formulae are matters for local discretion provided that they operate within the framework of the regulations. While the Audit Commission reports that some councils have suspended proposed changes to their funding formula, the survey was based on a sample of LEAs and was carried out before the start of the financial year 2004–05. Evidence from other authorities shows that there is no inherent need to suspend changes to formulae as a result of the minimum funding guarantee. Some authorities, in fact, have used the guarantee to provide transitional protection to ensure that such changes are phased in appropriately to ensure stability in school budgets.

Higher Education Act

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions his Department has had with representatives of students in relation to the Higher Education Act 2004.

Kim Howells: holding answer 11 October 2004
	We have regular discussions at ministerial and official level with student representative bodies including the National Union of Students.

Key Stage 2 Results

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of school pupils achieved level 4 at key stage 2 in (a) English and (b) Maths (i) in England and (ii) from schools based in the Buckingham constituency in (A) 2002 and (B) 2003.

David Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr. Collins) on 10 May 2004, Official Report, column 34W.

Ofsted Reports

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what procedures are open to an individual teacher to seek independent re-examination of an Ofsted report; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: This is a matter for the Ofsted. David Bell the HM Chief Inspector of Schools will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

School Admissions

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice his Department has issued to (a) local education authorities and (b) schools on the weight to be given to the separate addresses of divorced parents seeking access to a school on the basis of geographical proximity.

David Miliband: holding answer 11 October 2004
	Admission authorities must have regard to the School Admissions Code of Practice which gives advice on admission issues. In the case of children who live with parents with shared responsibility, the Code of Practice recommends that admission authorities ensure that their oversubscription criteria make clear how the 'home' address will be decided in a fair and considered and consistent way. It is therefore for admission authorities themselves to set out the basis on which they will consider the geographical proximity aspect for applications for children with parents who are divorced.

School Closures

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what procedures must be followed by a local education authority before it can close a non-selective single sex school where no similar alternative schools exist nearby; and what opportunities are available to parents of pupils at such a school who wish to make representations against proposed closure.

David Miliband: The procedures for closing a non-selective single sex school are the same as those for closing any other maintained school. There are no special arrangements where there is no similar school nearby.
	Those making proposals to close a school must first consult interested parties, ensuring that there is sufficient opportunity for interested parties to express their views. If they wish to proceed, they must then publish a notice in the local newspaper, at the entrance of the school and in a conspicuous place within the area (e.g. the local library). Following publication, there is a six-week representation period (or four weeks if the school is failing) during which anyone can make representations about the proposals. The proposals are normally then referred to the local School Organisation Committee (SOC). If the SOC cannot reach a unanimous decision, the proposals are referred to the schools adjudicator. The SOC and the adjudicator both have the power to approve the proposals, reject them or approve them with modifications.
	In making their decision the SOC and schools adjudicator must have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State. This sets out a range of factors that must be considered. These include the views of interested parties, the impact of what is proposed on local standards and equal opportunities issues including, for proposals of this nature, access to single sex schooling for both boys and girls where there is parental demand.
	In making their decision the SOC and schools adjudicator must have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State. This sets out a range of factors that must be considered. These include the views of interested parties, the impact of what is proposed on local standards and equal opportunities issues including, for proposals of this nature, access to single sex schooling for both boys and girls where there is parental demand.

School Provision

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines are in place to assist local education authorities plan future schools provision to take account of housing targets.

David Miliband: It is the responsibility of each local education authority to plan school provision in its area taking account of changes in local population. The Department does not issue specific guidance on planning school provision to meet increases in housing, but does provide other guidance on the statutory processes for making changes to local school organisation and separate guidance on capital.
	Proposals to provide new primary schools, or enlarge any existing schools, to meet population growth, must be subject to local consultation before being published. The final decision on the proposals will generally be taken by the local School Organisation Committee or, if they cannot agree unanimously, an independent adjudicator. Where an LEA proposes to establish a new secondary school they must publish details of the need for the school, inviting other promoters to submit proposals, and the Secretary of State will decide which of the proposals submitted should be approved.
	The Department provides capital support for local authorities and schools to invest in school infrastructure, including for the provision of new pupil places. The Department allocates much of its capital resources to local authorities and schools by needs-related formulae, as they can best decide how to target their highest priority needs, in accordance with their asset management planning processes. Local authorities can also negotiate contributions from developers for new school provision, under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as substituted by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister provides guidance to local authorities about such agreements in its Circular 1/97.

Special Educational Needs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been made available to schools in Buckinghamshire from the special educational needs standard fund in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05.

David Miliband: Buckinghamshire local education authority was allocated £638,603 in 2002–03, and £640,468 in 2003–04, through the Standards Fund for Special Educational Needs. This included Government grant of 50 per cent. and local authority contribution of 50 per cent. From 2004–05, the special educational needs grant was merged into a single School Development Grant. The grant was allocated to schools for use for any purpose to promote school improvement, including special educational needs. Buckinghamshire's allocation for School Development grant of £5.9 million included £666,087 notionally for special educational needs. The amount of grant allocated to Buckinghamshire's schools will depend on local decisions. In 2002–03 and 2003–04, local education authorities were permitted to use half of their special educational needs allocation for central provision. In 2004–05, authorities were allowed to retain the same cash amount from the School Development Grant as they had retained from the special educational needs grant in 2003–04.

Student Finances

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of students who received (a) maximum student loans and (b) student grants from the Government were from families where the parents are divorced in the last year for which figures are available.

Kim Howells: Data relating to the marital status of students' parents are not currently available centrally.

Student Finances

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the amount raised by higher education institutions from fees paid by part-time students in the last year for which figures are available.

Kim Howells: The available information is taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Finance Record. In 2002/03, English HE institutions raised £385.6 million income from HE fees paid by part time UK and EU domiciled students. Of this, £181.7 million of income came from undergraduate fees and £203.9 million came from postgraduate fees. Figures for part time overseas domiciled students are not indicated separately.

Student Finances

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the amount contributed to further education colleges by fee-paying students in the last year for which figures are available.

Kim Howells: Information from the Learning and Skills Council, for the latest year available 2002–03 shows that tuition fee income collected by further education institutions from council funded adult students, their employers or other sources, was £155 million.

Surplus Places

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether permission for local authorities to amend their formulae for distributing funds to schools will depend on the progress they are able to make in reducing surplus places following the abolition of the surplus places rules.

David Miliband: Local education authorities do not need permission to amend their formulae for distributing funds to schools. They are required to consult their schools and schools forum over any amendments they propose to make to the funding formula prior to the financial year in which such changes are introduced.
	LEAs are responsible for planning school places in their area and have a duty to ensure that there are sufficient places and that high quality education is provided in a cost effective way. We expect LEAs to take parental preferences into account in the planning.

Teacher Substitution

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teaching posts were (a) vacant and (b) filled by supply, temporary and agency teachers in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in the Buckinghamshire local education authority in January (A) 2002, (B) 2003 and (C) 2004.

David Miliband: The table gives the total number of full-time vacancies and occasional teachers in service in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in Buckinghamshire local education authority in January 2002, 2003 and 2004.
	
		
			  2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Nursery and primary schools 
			 Vacancies 16 5 2 
			 Occasional teachers 50 30 30 
			 Secondary schools 
			 Vacancies 32 34 28 
			 Occasional teachers 50 50 60 
		
	
	Source:
	Form 618g survey.
	Vacancies include all advertised posts of at least one term's duration excluding those covered by a teacher with a contract of a term of more.
	Teachers in occasional service are all those in supply service or with a contract of less than one month, including those employed through an agency, who were employed for the whole of the survey date.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the security situation in Herat in Afghanistan following the recent violence directed towards UN buildings and staff.

Bill Rammell: President Karzai removed Ismail Khan as Governor of Herat on 11 September. Ismail Khan was offered a ministerial post with the Afghan transitional administration in Kabul but has declined it, and currently remains in Herat as a private citizen. The announcement of his removal was followed by some local unrest in Herat, during which seven people reportedly died. UN buildings were targeted and some UN and NGO staff withdrew temporarily from the city. They have since returned. The new Governor has taken office, the Afghan National Army and police force are keeping order, and there have been no reports of further serious violent incidents.

Afghanistan

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with warlords in Afghanistan to establish their views on holding elections in Afghanistan.

Bill Rammell: Arrangements for elections in Afghanistan have been agreed by the Afghan Transitional Administration in consultation with the UN. We are not aware of any consultations being held directly with warlords on this issue.

Afghanistan

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the intention is that the parliamentary elections in Afghanistan will take place in all parts of the country; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Afghan Government's expressed intention is to hold nationwide parliamentary elections in spring 2005. No further details have yet been announced.

Afghanistan

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate has been made of the number of warlords who control areas of Afghanistan; what discussions are taking place with these people; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Afghanistan is governed by the Afghan Transitional Administration. President Karzai has acted on a number of occasions to remove regional governors who were ineffective or who were not loyal to central Government. Regional military commanders or warlords are involved in the UN-led process to demobilise and disarm militias. Latest UN figures show that this largely consensual process has succeeded in disarming more than 20,000 militia personnel (which is around a third of the total) and removing around 60 per cent. of heavy weapons from militia control. Kabul was declared free of heavy weapons on 1 September.

Azerbaijan

David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the situation concerning Nagorno-Karabakh in the Republic of Azerbaijan; what recent representations he has made regarding the presence of Russian forces; what plans there are for (a) mediation and (b) the provision of (i) observers and (ii) peacekeeping forces by international organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We will support any mechanism for the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh dispute which both parties can accept and which has a realistic chance of delivering a lasting political settlement. The framework for discussing such mechanisms is the OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by Russia, the US and France. While the UK is not a member of the Minsk Group, we support its work and remain in close touch through the UK Special Representative to the South Caucasus, Sir Brian Fall.
	The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman in Office arranges for periodic observation of the line of control from both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides. There are no Russian forces in Nagorno Karabakh that we are aware of. At its summit in 1994, the OSCE agreed in principle to the deployment of a multi-national peacekeeping operation, following the conclusion of a political agreement on the cessation of the armed conflict, and established a High Level Planning Group (HLPG) to work on details of an operation. This point has not been reached but high level governmental contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan continue on a regular basis with and without the facilitation of the Minsk Group.

Bakassi Peninsula

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Governments of (a) Nigeria and (b) Cameroon on the handover of the Bakassi peninsula.

Chris Mullin: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) discussed this issue with President Obasanjo in Nigeria on 7 September, and I did likewise with the Cameroonian High Commissioner in London on 20 September. We made clear our support for the International Court of Justice ruling, and that we look to Nigeria and Cameroon to negotiate the detail of its implementation with the support of the United Nations.

British Tourists (Murders)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British tourists were murdered in each year since 1995, broken down by country.

Chris Mullin: The number of British nationals murdered overseas since 1996 of whose deaths we have been notified is provided in the table below. We have no figures for 1995. We are unable to differentiate between tourists, business or other travellers.
	We are in the process of transferring our consular records to a new system. Consequently there may be some inconsistencies in the data we are currently able to present.
	
		
			 Financial Year 
			 Country 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003–04 
		
		
			 Afghanistan 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Angola 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Antigua and Barbuda 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Argentina 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Australia 5 3 2 1 0 0 2 2 
			 Austria 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Bahamas 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bahrain 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bangladesh 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Belgium 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Belize 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Botswana 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Brazil 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambodia 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Canada 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Chile 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 China 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Colombia 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Comoros 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Congo 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cyprus 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 
			 Czech Republic 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Denmark 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Dominican Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Egypt 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Eritea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Fiji 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 France 1 1 1 4 1 3 5 3 
			 Germany 1 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 
			 Ghana 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 
			 Gibraltar 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Greece 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Guatemala 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Guyana 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Honduras 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 India 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 
			 Indonesia 0 0 1 0 0 0 26 0 
			 Iraq 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Israel 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Italy 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 
			 Jamaica 1 0 2 2 3 2 1 4 
			 Kazakhstan 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Kenya 2 0 3 0 0 2 0 1 
			 Kuwait 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Madagascar 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Malawi 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Malaysia 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 
			 Mexico 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mongolia 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Mozambique 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Nepal 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Netherlands 1 3 2 0 1 1 1 0 
			 New Zealand 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Nigeria 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 0 
			 Pakistan 1 1 1 9 0 3 2 0 
			 Panama 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Papua New Guinea 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Philippines 2 1 0 3 1 0 1 4 
			 Poland 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Portugal 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Russia 1 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Rwanda 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 St Lucia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Saudi Arabia 0 0 0 0 1 0 9 2 
			 Somalia 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 
			 South Africa 8 8 3 3 8 5 0 6 
			 Spain 4 2 1 4 7 2 4 1 
			 Sweden 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Tajikistan 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Tanzania 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Thailand 2 1 2 1 3 0 0 0 
			 Togo 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Turkey 0 0 2 1 2 1 2 0 
			 Uganda 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 
			 Ukraine 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 USA 7 2 8 7 5 70 1 0 
			 Uzbekistan 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Venezuela 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Vietnam 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Yemen 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Zambia 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Zimbabwe 0 0 1 1 2 0 3 2 
			 Total 65 50 54 56 51 101 68 43

China

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Chinese authorities about the death sentence of Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche.

Bill Rammell: We have raised the case of Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche with the Chinese authorities on several occasions and have supported EU demarches about his case. At the latest round of the biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue, held in London on 13–14 May, we asked for confirmation that his death sentence would not be carried out. We also raised concerns about the judicial process and requested a re-trial.
	The EU included his case on the list of individual cases presented at the latest EU China Human Rights Dialogue, held on 24 September.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter to him dated 20 July from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. M. Abbass.

Chris Mullin: My hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Douglas Alexander) replied on 5 October. I apologise for the delay in replying while inquiries with our High Commission in Islamabad were finalised.

EU Legislation

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of European legislation has lapsed during the last (a) year and (b) seven years.

Denis MacShane: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the Commission has identified more than 450 pieces of legislation which it considers could be repealed or formally recognised as obsolescent, and it will be putting proposals to do this to the Council and the European Parliament. As EU regulatory reform champions, we have strongly supported the Commission's work in this area and will continue to do so. It should be a priority for the new Commission too, and I welcome Commissioner Verheugen's comments on the issue in his recent European Parliament hearing. We are also working with EU partners on initiatives to use impact assessments as a basis for competitiveness testing, to simplify existing legislative proposals and encourage the use of alternatives to regulation.

Georgia

David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the situation concerning South Ossetia in the Republic of Georgia; what recent representations he has made regarding the presence of Russian forces; what plans there are for (a) mediation and (b) the provision of (i) observers and (ii) peacekeeping forces by international organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Government support the territorial integrity of Georgia and Georgia's right to control its own borders. We believe that the conflict can only be resolved and a long-term sustainable solution found, by peaceful negotiation between the parties. To this end, the UK supports the work of the OSCE mission in Georgia, who have a special role in promoting the peaceful resolution of the South Ossetian conflict, and the work of the EU Special Representative to the South Caucasus. The UK's own Special Representative to the South Caucasus is also active, having most recently visited Georgia, including South Ossetia, on 22 to 25 September 2004.
	The format for dialogue between the Georgians and the South Ossetians is through the Joint Control Commission, which also includes the Russians and the North Ossetians. This Commission met last in Russia at the end of September but there were no concrete outcomes.
	Russian forces form part of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (including Georgian and South Ossetian) that are present by agreement of these parties. OSCE monitors are also present by agreement of the relevant parties. The OSCE is currently considering increasing their number of monitors from six to 16, a proposal that we support.

Georgia

David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Her Majesty's Government's policy is on the situation concerning Abkhazia in the Republic of Georgia; whether he has made any recent representations regarding the presence of Russian forces; whether there are any plans for mediation and the provision of observers and peacekeeping forces on the part of international organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Government support the territorial integrity of Georgia and Georgia's right to control its own borders. We believe that the conflict can only be resolved and a long-term sustainable solution found, by peaceful negotiation between the parties. Being a member of the Friends of the Secretary General on Georgia, the UK actively supports the dialogue process headed by the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General. Efforts are under way to prepare for another round of these talks but they are not imminent. The UK's own Special Representative to the South Caucasus is our senior official on the Friends Group. He often travels to the region and to capitals to explore possibilities to move towards a solution.
	The Russian peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia are there by agreement of the parties to the dispute. A UN observer mission (UNOM1G), including a British component, is also present. This mission was established in 1993 to verify compliance of the Cease-Fire Agreement between Georgia and Abkhazia.

Gibraltar

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Gibraltar Government in order to ensure that it follows its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights as expressed in the judgment of 9 January 2003 of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of L and V v. Austria concerning the homosexual and heterosexual ages of consent; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 13 May 2003, Official Report, column 161W. I have had no recent discussions with the Gibraltar Government on this issue.

Guatemala

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Guatemala about the scale of violence against women in that country.

Bill Rammell: We are concerned at the high levels of violence committed against women in Guatemala. Unfortunately this is part of a much wider human rights problem in Guatemala, which I raised with the new Vice-President when I visited Guatemala in January. However, we have noted the positive efforts that President Berger has made since his inauguration on 14 January to improve human rights generally in Guatemala.
	Our ambassador to Guatemala and other EU ambassadors raised concerns about increasing levels of violence and murders of women with both the Attorney-General and the Minister of Home Affairs in August. Yakin Erturk, UN special rapporteur on violence against women, raised similar concerns on her visit to Guatemala in February. The UK chargé d'affaires and other EU ambassadors also attended a meeting with Susana Villaran, OAS rapporteur on violence against women and Frank la Rue, Head of the Guatemalan Presidential Commission on Human Rights. Mr. La Rue acknowledged the concerns expressed by the UK chargé and other ambassadors about increasing attacks on women and said the Guatemalan Government took very seriously the issues raised by the UN and OAS rapporteurs.
	We will continue to monitor human rights closely.

Haiti

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the interim Government of Haiti regarding the security situation in Port-au-Prince.

Bill Rammell: The security situation in Haiti remains volatile. But, due to the efforts of the UN multinational force and the interim Government, there has been some improvement since the political crisis in February, which led to former President Aristide's resignation and departure.
	We have no direct representation in Port-au-Prince—we cover Haiti from the British Embassy in Santo Domingo. Our Ambassador there has made regular trips to Haiti over the past 18 months, most recently visiting Port-au-Prince in August 2004, when he discussed the security situation with the Prime Minister.

Hurricane Ivan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK holiday makers and UK citizens resident in (a) Grenada, (b) Jamaica and (c) Cuba were airlifted out of those countries (i) in advance of and (ii) subsequent to Hurricane Ivan.

Chris Mullin: No British holidaymakers or citizens were airlifted out of Grenada in advance of Hurricane Ivan as there was insufficient warning of its impact. In the days immediately following the hurricane, the British High Commission in Grenada assisted approximately 400 British tourists, EU and Commonwealth nationals to secure flights, including one we chartered, out of Grenada, principally via Barbados. A further 200 British visitors, residents and dual British/Grenadian citizens have since been advised about leaving Grenada. Since 13 September commercial flights, principally via Barbados on regional airlines, have been operating out of Grenada.
	We understand from British tour operators with clients in the region that before the hurricane there were around 3,400 holidaymakers. Just under half of these left the island before the hurricane struck. A significant number of those who remained were visiting friends and relatives and could not be contacted. Subsequently, 131 were moved to another part of Jamaica and 2,497 were evacuated to another island or returned to the UK.
	We understand there were about 5,500 holidaymakers booked through British tour operators on Cuba. Approximately 1,000 were evacuated to an alternative holiday destination, the remainder were moved to other parts of the island.

Hurricane Ivan

George Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is being provided by his Department to governments of islands affected by Hurricane Ivan.

Bill Rammell: For information about UK assistance following Hurricane Ivan I refer my right hon. Friend to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development made to the House on 14 September 2004, Official Report, columns 1125–27, which was updated on 16 September 2004, Official Report, columns 169–72WS. A further written statement, updating the House on UK assistance following Hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne, was issued on 12 October 2004, Official Report, columns 14–20WS.
	Hurricane Ivan hit Grenada on 7 September causing severe damage and destruction as well as loss of life. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has appointed my noble Friend the Baroness Howells of St. Davids as his Personal Envoy to Grenada. She travelled to Barbados and Grenada from 21 to 24 September with representatives of the Department for International Development and the British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean to see the situation at first hand. We look forward to discussing her recommendations.
	In response to a request from the Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr. Keith Mitchell, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Caribbean Regional Prisons Adviser, Nicholas Brooke, has travelled to Grenada to inspect the prison, which was badly damaged in the hurricane. He will assess the current state of the prison, make recommendations for short-term remedial action and report on the medium and long-term implications for the prison following the hurricane damage. We have also provided him with some funds for immediate work on the prison.
	On 12 September Grand Cayman took an almost direct hit from Hurricane Ivan. We have funded police reinforcements from neighbouring Overseas Territories to be deployed, and provided part funding for a detachment from the Bermuda Regiment to assist with the clean up operation. We have also made available various technical advisers and reinforced the Governor's office.

Iran

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board meeting held on 13 September with respect to Iran's nuclear programme; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors adopted a Resolution urging Iran to co-operate fully with the IAEA, to implement fully its Nuclear Safeguards Agreement and to clarify all outstanding questions regarding its nuclear programme. The Resolution also regrets that Iran has reversed its decision to suspend the enrichment of uranium. The Resolution goes on to request that the Director-General of the IAEA present a further report on progress in advance of the next meeting of the Board of Governors in November, at which time the Board will again consider what further steps to take in order to persuade Iran to abide by its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
	The Resolution was adopted by consensus on 18 September. The full text of the Resolution, and the Director-General's report which informed the Board's discussions, is available on the IAEA internet website, www.iaea.org.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request a full report from the US Government on the alleged attack by US helicopters on unarmed Iraqi civilians on Sunday 12 September in Haifa Street, Baghdad.

Bill Rammell: We are aware of reports of civilian casualties as a result of this incident. The US authorities are currently undertaking an investigation. We understand that a US armoured vehicle came under attack. During evacuation of the vehicle's crew, US personnel were injured and helicopter support was requested.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request the Iraqi Interim Government to conduct an inquiry into the alleged attack by US helicopters on unarmed Iraqi civilians on Sunday 12 September in Haifa Street, Baghdad.

Bill Rammell: We are aware of reports of civilian casualties as a result of this incident. We do not intend to request the Iraqi Interim Government to conduct an inquiry as the US authorities are currently undertaking an investigation. We understand that a US armoured vehicle came under attack. During evacuation of the vehicle's crew, US personnel were injured and helicopter support was requested.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) of 13 September 2004, Official Report, column 1454W, who authorised UNMOVIC and the International Atomic Energy Agency to excise parts of the Iraqi declaration of December 2002; which categories of information were removed; how many pages the excised sections comprise; and whether it was accepted by all UN Security Council non-permanent members that they should receive only an excised version of the Iraqi declaration.

Denis MacShane: The decision to excise parts of Iraq's declaration was made by UNMOVIC and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and agreed by the UN Security Council. The excised portion contained information about Iraq's nuclear weapons programme which could potentially be of benefit to non-nuclear weapons states seeking to pursue nuclear weapons programmes. It is not possible to say precisely how many pages of text were excised since the formatting of the excised version was different from that of the original. No member of the Security Council at the time raised any objection to receiving only the excised version of the declaration.

Israel

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government about the treatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Dr. Tonge) on 9 September 2004, Official Report, column 1372W. On 2 September the Israeli Prison Service informed our embassy in Tel Aviv that the hunger strike had ended.
	We continue to monitor the situation with regard to Israeli treatment of Palestinian prisoners and raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities.

Kosovo

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the forthcoming elections in Kosovo on 23 October.

Denis MacShane: On 23 October the people of Kosovo will go to the polls to elect the Assembly of Kosovo for a second term of office. A total of 33 political entities have successfully registered for the elections representing Kosovo Albanian, Kosovo Serb, Turk. Ashkali, Gorani, Roma and Bosniak communities. However only two Serb organisations have registered, with all others boycotting. We continue to urge the Serbian Government to encourage Kosovo Serb participation in the elections and welcome the support given by President Boris Tadic on 5 October for their participation.
	Responsibility for ensuring the elections are conducted in a free and fair manner will be shared between the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Central Election Commission Secretariat (CECS), a local body. The Council of Europe will provide international monitors to observe the elections. On 8 September, the Council of Europe reported that it was
	'largely satisfied with the progress made by electoral bodies in the preparation for the election'.
	The full report can be found on the Council of Europe website: www.coe.int/Observation of the elections in Kosovo/Preliminary report CEEOM IV—2004
	There are 120 seats in the Kosovo Assembly. 100 seats are distributed amongst all parties in proportion to the number of votes won. Ten seats are allocated to the parties, organisations, citizens' initiatives and independent candidates representing the Kosovo Serb community. The remaining ten seats are allocated to other minority communities. Further information on the Kosovo Assembly elections can be found at www.osce.org.

Poppy Cultivation

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with the Governments of (a) Afghanistan and (b) Burma regarding (i) poppy cultivation and (ii) progress in controlling the cultivation of poppies since the removal of the Taliban.

Bill Rammell: As lead nation on counter narcotics in Afghanistan since April 2002, the UK has had regular discussions and works closely with the Afghan Government to support delivery of the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy, which was adopted in May 2003. I have visited Afghanistan for discussions with President Karzai and his Ministers about progress on the strategy. The UK has allocated £70 million over three years to support this work. As a result of those contacts, in the first year of implementation of the strategy the basic counter narcotics structures have been put in place: drug control legislation, a Counter Narcotics Directorate, the Ministry of Interior's Afghan Special Narcotics Force, the Counter Narcotics Police and a central eradication capability. Work is also in hand to develop alternative livelihoods for farmers dependent on opium poppy cultivation. The measures we have put in place provide a sound basis for future co-operation with the Afghan Government and international partners to secure the further development of robust institutions and programmes to combat opium production and trafficking. Progress remains linked to the wider security situation in Afghanistan and to the implementation of other areas of institution building such as policing and judicial systems.
	Burmese opiates are not trafficked to the UK in significant quantities. Most stays within the Asia/Pacific region. Our Ambassador in Rangoon discussed the reduction of poppy cultivation and other drugs issues with Burmese Ministers during a visit to Northern Shan State in January 2004.

Russia

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with Russia regarding the situation in (a) Chechnya and (b) Ingushetia.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed the situation in the North Caucasus with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on several occasions since the tragic siege at Beslan in September. Most recently they discussed Chechnya on 22 September, when they met in New York. As in previous meetings, including those during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Moscow in July, they discussed international concerns about the human rights situation in Chechnya. They also discussed the difficult security situation in the region and the need for the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation to co-operate closely in the fight against terrorism.
	I also raised the situation in the North Caucasus with the Russian Ambassador when I saw him recently. This followed my substantive discussions with senior Russian officials on this subject during my visit to Moscow on 6–7 April. During my discussions in Moscow, I specifically raised concerns over human rights abuses in Chechnya, and pressed too for progress on the political process there. In addition, I raised the situation in Ingushetia with regard to the conditions for internally displaced persons there.
	These exchanges are part of our ongoing, regular dialogue with the Russian Federation on the situation in the North Caucasus.

Zimbabwe

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Zimbabwe about the voter registration process in Zimbabwe.

Chris Mullin: Zimbabwe and other members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) recently adopted principles on democratic elections. These stipulate that all citizens should have equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote; that there should be no discrimination in voter registration; and that the voters' roll should be updated and accessible. We have made clear, including through the British Embassy in Harare and the European Union Presidency, that we look to Zimbabwe to fully respect these and other SADC principles.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Arthritis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many rheumatoid arthritis sufferers are receiving treatment with (a) Embrel and (b) Remicade in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Figures collected between June and July 2004 indicate that approximately 241 patients were being treated with anti-TNF medication; of these (a) 69 patients were prescribed Enbrel, (b) 102 were prescribed Remicade while a further 70 patients were prescribed another anti-TNF medication such as Adalimumab (Humira).
	A small number of those treated with anti-TNF medication may not be rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

Arthritis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many rheumatoid arthritis sufferers commenced treatment with (a) Embrel and (b) Remicade in each of the last 12 months in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Arthritis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many rheumatoid arthritis sufferers are waiting to commence anti-TNF medications in the Province.

Angela Smith: Figures collected between June and July 2004 indicate that approximately 427 persons are waiting for treatment with anti-TNF medication. All of these patients are currently receiving treatment with other medication.
	A small number of those waiting for treatment with anti-TNF medication may not be rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

Bovine TB

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his policy to combat bovine tuberculosis in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: My Department has in place a Tuberculosis (TB) control programme which aims to bring about a substantial reduction in TB disease levels in Northern Ireland. The control measures are based on a programme of testing, the slaughter of infected animals, the restriction of movements of animals to and from infected herds and surrounding herds, and the tracing of contact animals.
	The implementation of the TB Policy Review measures which I announced at the beginning of September will ensure further progress towards the effective long-term control of the disease. The new measures being introduced this autumn include tighter restrictions on overdue TB tests and changes to the valuation system which mean that herdkeepers will in future pay for independent valuations, the independent valuer's valuation will no longer be final and binding, and an independent appeals panel is being established to review any disputed valuations.
	Work is also under way on the feasibility of further measures that can be introduced to control TB. My Department is piloting the use of the gamma interferon blood test, in combination with skin testing, to assist in the detection of TB in cattle in certain circumstances. There is also ongoing work on research collaboration with the ROI.
	In relation to badgers and TB, I have established a Stakeholder Group to review the badger studies that have been carried out in the ROI, along with research in badgers undertaken in NI, and all other relevant information available so far from the work in GB. I await the report of the Group to enable me to make a fully informed decision on the way ahead.

Chest Pain Clinics

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many rapid access chest pain clinics are operational in Northern Ireland; and if he will make disabled children a priority area for 2005–06.

Angela Smith: There are currently two rapid access chest pain clinics in Northern Ireland, which are based at the Royal Victoria and Belfast City Hospitals. Further clinics are expected to open shortly at the Mater and Craigavon Hospitals, and one is under consideration by Altnagelvin Hospital.
	The prioritisation of children requiring cardiology or cardiac treatments is a clinical decision, based on the most clinically urgent receiving treatment first.

Domestic Violence

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the costs resulting from domestic violence in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available.
	Research has recently been published which estimated the cost of domestic violence to society in England and Wales at £23 billion each year. £6 billion of this related to the direct costs of services to deal with domestic violence (police, criminal justice system, health and social services care, housing and civil legal cases) and to the loss of economic output due to the suffering of victims. There has been no similar research on costs in Northern Ireland. Extrapolation of the research figures for England and Wales on a pro-rata population basis would indicate that the cost of services and loss of economic output due to domestic violence could amount to about £180 million each year in Northern Ireland.

Early Release Scheme

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners were released under the Early Release Scheme under the Belfast Agreement; and how many of those released have been convicted of re-offending.

Ian Pearson: To date (27 September 2004), 447 prisoners have been released early since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement under the terms of the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998. Details of those who have re-offended are only held for those who come to the attention of police whilst still under licence, of whom 28 have been convicted of further offences.

Flooding

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what emergency plans are in operation for dealing with flooding in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: The Department for Regional Development Roads and Water Services and Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's Rivers Agency are the key Agencies in Northern Ireland with a flooding response capability in association with other key stakeholders, mainly district councils, who also have roles to play.
	Each Agency has its own emergency response arrangements. As a matter of course these arrangements provide for out-of-hours contact from the public and the mobilisation of staff, plant and equipment.
	With regard to specific plans, Rivers Agency responds in accordance with its Flooding Emergency Arrangements, while Water Service responds in accordance with the Water Service's Major Incident Plan and Roads Service in accordance with the Roads Service Emergency Response Plan
	In addition the Rivers Agency, Roads Service and Water Service have established a Joint Flood Strategy Steering Group to oversee co-ordination of their respective efforts in preventing, planning for and responding to flooding incidents. The Steering Group, which is chaired by the Rivers Agency, has developed a set of Best Practice Guidelines on an Integrated Response to Flooding.

Irish Language

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of implementing an Irish language policy has been to each Government Department since its introduction.

Angela Smith: During devolution Northern Ireland Executive Ministers decided policy on the language to be used by each Department for letterheads and public advertisements, including the use of Irish and Ulster Scots. At an early stage during the current period of suspension, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, decided that the position within each Northern Ireland Department should remain unchanged. This remains his current assessment.
	The costs incurred from 1998 until March 2004 as a result of these Irish language policies are as follows:
	
		
			 Department Cost (£) 
		
		
			 DHSSPS 367,266 
			 DE 70,765 
			 DEL 35,655 
			 DFP 5,084 
			 DCAL 26,886 
			 DARD 388 
			 DETI 285 
			 OFMDFM 84,821 
			 DOE 9,883 
			 DRD 195 
			 DSD 677 
			 NIO 1,366

Jobskills Programme

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of participants on the Jobskills programme moved into full-time employment in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The Jobskills programme consists of three separate but integrated strands, each dealing with a particular client group:
	the Access strand offers unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds training leading to approved qualifications up to National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 1;
	the Traineeship strand offers unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds training leading to the attainment of a NVQ Level 2; and
	the Modern Apprenticeship strand offers employed 16 to 24-year-olds training leading to the attainment of NVQ Level 3.
	Trainees can progress from one strand to another and information on each strand is recorded separately.
	In the case of the Access strand, progression within Jobskills is considered a positive progression which can ultimately lead to employment; therefore, the proportion of leavers moving to employment or progressing are both provided.
	
		Percentage
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Access  
			 Employment 18 17 19 16 17 
			 Progression 32 31 31 36 7 
			   
			 Traineeship  
			 Employment 63 64 65 64 31 
			   
			 Modern Apprenticeship (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— 
		
	
	(6) All trainees in the Modern Apprenticeship strand are required to be in employment as a condition of participation.
	Training in the Access and Traineeship strands normally lasts 18 months. Consequently, 56 per cent. and 68 per cent. respectively of the 2003–04 cohort within these strands are still in training. It is, therefore, expected that the proportion moving into employment will subsequently increase.

Monkstown Young Citizen Volunteers

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what links have been identified between the Monkstown Young Citizen Volunteers (YCV) and the banned Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF); and what actions he will take to prevent the Monkstown YCV from promoting the UVF.

Ian Pearson: The Young Citizen Volunteers was established in 1912 as the youth wing of the Ulster Volunteer Force. I understand that the Monkstown YCV is the local branch of the YCV. The response to any paramilitary display is a matter for the PSNI.

Monkstown Young Citizen Volunteers

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he has taken to ascertain whether the flags and emblems associated with the Monkstown Young Citizen Volunteers constitute an illegal paramilitary display.

Ian Pearson: The police have received no reports alleging that the Monkstown Young Citizen Volunteers has committed any offences with regard to flags and emblems during this year's marching season.

MOT Certificates

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how long it will take to clear the backlog of applications for MOT certificates in Northern Ireland due to the recent industrial dispute.

Angela Smith: The Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency expects to take up to 12 months to clear the backlog of MOT applications.

Planning Applications

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how long it will take to clear the backlog of planning applications in Northern Ireland caused by the recent industrial dispute.

Angela Smith: It is not possible to determine how long it will take to clear the backlog of applications. However, the Planning Service is committed to processing applications as quickly as possible.

Police Duties

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of police officers in North Belfast have been assigned to neighbourhood or community duties.

Ian Pearson: 15.1 per cent. of police officers in North Belfast DCU have been assigned to neighbourhood or community duties. In addition, 72 part-time reserve officers complement the work of the sector police.

Police Establishment

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of the police establishment in North Belfast is made up of (a) full-time reserve officers and (b) part-time officers.

Ian Pearson: The current police establishment in North Belfast is composed of:
	(a) 18.5 per cent. full-time reserve officers;
	(b) Part-time reserve officers complement the DCU strength. There are currently 72 part-time officers.

Scientific Officers (Promotion)

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's promotion boards for scientific officer positions to assess applications from persons (a) with a non-scientific background and (b) not currently working for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Ian Pearson: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development held a promotion board to interview candidates for promotion to the grade of Scientific Officer in April/May 2004. A circular advising of eligibility and self-nomination arrangements was issued to all NICS Departments inviting applications from eligible officers. This was the first promotion board to this grade to which eligibility was opened to analogous grades.
	For this competition the eligibility criteria was restricted to (i) officers in the Assistant Scientific Officer grade and (ii) officers in analogous grades from other disciplines who met the current entry requirements for ASOs ie. 4 GCE/GCSE 'O Levels, grades A-C which must have included English Language, Mathematics and a Science subject. In addition, all staff self-nominating were required to have a current "fitted for promotion" or better assessment on their annual report.
	The key selection criteria against which candidates were assessed for promotion by the board were as follows:
	(a) Services
	(b) Resources
	(c) People
	(d) Information/Communication
	(e) Professional/Specialist/Technical Knowledge and Skills
	Prospective applicants were advised in an addendum to the promotion board notice that the Professional/Specialist/Technical/Knowledge and Skills criterion related to the Biology, Chemistry and Microbiology disciplines and that they would be required to demonstrate both on the application form and at interview how they satisfied this criterion in the context of these scientific disciplines.

Special Advisers

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many special advisers associated with each party that held seats on the suspended Northern Ireland Executive are paid from government funds; how much has been spent in each of the past 12 months on such advisers; what the rationale is for continuing the payments; and what the duties are of those advisers.

John Spellar: Following the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly until May 2004, a total of seven special advisers have been paid from government funds. Special advisers are employed under two separate schemes. The DUP, Sinn Fein and UUP each employ one adviser under a scheme operated by the Northern Ireland Assembly. These advisers are employed by their parties to assist in the performance of their members' Assembly duties during suspension, working for a smooth return to devolved government and engaging in discussion for that purpose. The remaining four, two appointed by the former First Minister and two by the former Deputy First Minister, were employed as civil servants and attached to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
	Following two resignations in June 2004, the latter group now comprises two advisers, employed to support the former First Minister and Deputy First Minister respectively during suspension, working for a smooth return to devolved government and engaging in discussion for that purpose.
	Details of payments for the past 12 months are set out below.
	
		
			   
			  Monthly cost 
		
		
			 2003  
			 July 35,350.35 
			 August 35,899.98 
			 September 36,707.84 
			 October 36,314.96 
			 November 35,936.76 
			 December 33,119.83 
			 2004  
			 January 36,079.91 
			 February 34,726.69 
			 March 34,086.33 
			 April 23,653.55 
			 May 24,286.32 
			 June 31,062.48 
			 Total 397,224.99

Unlicensed Hire Vehicles

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been prosecuted in Northern Ireland for operating vehicles not licensed for hire or reward in the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency has primary responsibility for enforcing the regulations governing the use of vehicles for hire and reward within Northern Ireland. During the period April 1999 to March 2004 inclusive, a total of 629 operators were prosecuted for operating goods vehicles without being licensed to carry goods for hire and reward.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Select Committees

Llew Smith: To ask the Leader of the House what proposals he has to increase public knowledge of the dates of sitting and subject of inquiries by Select Committees; and what proposals he has to facilitate public access to Select Committee hearings.

Peter Hain: Considerable progress has been made in making information about Committee activity more readily accessible to the public. In particular, I commend the new forward calendar of Committee activity on the Parliament website and the Committee Office telephone information line. The live webcasting of all Committee hearings is also a very welcome development. However, I believe that more needs to be done to ensure that the information provided reaches a greater section of the public; and to this end I hope that the House of Commons Commission will give sympathetic consideration to the recommendations in the Modernisation Committee's recent report on Connecting Parliament with the Public.
	The reception and security facility planned for Cromwell Green will facilitate public access to Select Committee hearings. I very much hope that the House will also support in due course plans for a Visitors' and Educational Centre, which would allow for live relay of Committee hearings, as well as proceedings in the Chamber.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Service Pensions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make it her policy to amend the pre-2002 Civil Service Pension Scheme to allow widows and widowers of civil servants who remarry or cohabit to retain their pension rights; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: I have no plans to do so.
	Until recently all public service pension schemes (and many in the private sector) only provided widows' and widowers' pensions up until the beneficiary remarries or cohabits with someone as their husband or wife. From October 2002, a new pension scheme for civil servants was introduced (known as premium) which has an improved benefit structure paid for by higher employee contributions. One of the improvements is to provide widows and widowers pensions for life. To provide a similar improvement in respect of the pre-October 2002 scheme (known as classic), where higher contributions have not been paid, would not only be unfair to the members of premium who are paying higher contributions for enhanced benefits, but would also result in tax payers meeting the additional costs to the classic scheme of doing so.
	Public service-wide additional costs for future service have been estimated at 150 million per annum, plus a one off cost of 3 billion to cover all past service.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Cosmetics (Animal Testing)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many European Union states have a ban on the use of animal testing for cosmetics; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The UK has operated a voluntary ban on the testing of cosmetic products on animals since 1996. This ban was made compulsory on 11 September 2004, with the implementation of the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/2152), which implement the 7th Amendment to the EU Council Directive on the safety of cosmetic products.
	All EU member states were required to implement the 7th Amendment by 11 September 2004. It imposes a ban on the testing of finished cosmetic products on animals from 11 March 2005.

Coal Mine Methane

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the implications of (a) converting coal mine methane to energy and (b) venting coal mine methane; and if she will make a statement on support for coal mine methane-related technology.

Mike O'Brien: The Government commissioned a study in 2003 to see if there are any possible mechanisms, consistent with the objectives of the Energy White Paper, which could be deployed to encourage the control of CMM emissions. This study was undertaken by independent consultants and was overseen by a Advisory Board of representatives from the industry, DTI, DEFRA, and the Coal Authority. The purpose of the exercise was to investigate means for controlling emissions to atmosphere from abandoned mines where the current practice of venting is clearly undesirable. The results of the study are available on the DTI's website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/coalminemethane.shtml.
	The study included an assessment of commercially exploiting CMM for power generation or for use as a burner tip fuel. The consultants found that the least cost option for dealing with these methane emissions was through flaring rather than putting them to commercial use. It was also concluded that the potential capacity for power generation, beyond that already exploited by the industry, was limited at less than 20 MW. There was therefore no significant security of supply arguments for specifically encouraging electricity generation from CMM.
	However, as a result of this study it was proposed that a scheme be established to control CMM emissions, which would be open to all technology options, including electricity generation, burner tip fuel use as well as flaring. Proposals from the private sector to control the emissions would be competitively considered by the Coal Authority and the most cost-effective solution awarded a contract leaving them to decide on the most cost-effective means of control.
	The Government recognise and value the benefits the coal mine methane technology industry provides by tapping the methane emissions from disused coal mines and putting them to good use for generation of electricity. We have already demonstrated this support through our securing exemption from the climate change levy for electricity generated from CMM which came into force in November 2003, and why the proposed grant-scheme will be open to this technology.

Combined Heat and Power

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will publish the Combined Heat and Power Potential Study that is listed on the Sustainable Energy Policy Network's website.

Mike O'Brien: The Study on the economic potential for Combined Heat and Power was published by Defra on 22 September. It can be found on the Defra website under Environmental Protection and then under Energy: Sustainable Energy.

Doorstep Cold Calling

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what action her Department is taking to combat doorstep crime; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to achieve a cross-departmental approach to combat crime and unscrupulous trading associated with doorstep cold calling.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 16 September 2004, Official Report, column 1719W.

Pharmaceutical Industry Competitiveness Task Force

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the (a) membership, (b) start date and (c) purpose of the Pharmaceutical Industry Competitiveness Task Force; and how much has been allocated to this body by her Department.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	The pharmaceutical industry competitiveness task force was established in March 2000 and reported to my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, in March 2001. A copy of the final report is available in the Library. Its aims were to ensure that the right strategies were in place to allow industry to contribute fully to the economy and bring safe, effective medicines to the British market.
	The membership of the task force was:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 Co-chairmen  
			 Lord Hunt of Kings Heath Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health 
			 Sir Tom McKillop AstraZeneca 
			 Members  
			 1. Government:  
			 Lord Sainsbury of Turville Minister for Science and Innovation 
			 Baroness Blackstone Minister of State for Education and Employment 
			 Nick Raynsford MP Minister for Housing and Planning 
			 Stephen Timms MP Financial Secretary to Her Majesty's Treasury 
			 Sir Nigel Crisp Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive, Department of Health 
			 2. Industry:  
			 Sir Richard Sykes Glaxo Welcome 
			 J-P Gamier SmithKline Beecham 
			 Bill Fullagar ABPI President, and Novartis 
			 Vincent Lawton APG Chairman, and Merck Sharp and Dohme 
			 Trevor Jones ABPI Director General 
		
	
	The Department did not allocate any funding to the task force. Jointly with industry, it provided the secretariat to the task force.

Plutonium

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the BNFL ships contracted to transport weapons grade plutonium from Charleston to Cherbourg (a) leave Charleston and (b) arrive at Cherbourg; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 11 October 2004
	The PNTL ships involved in the shipment departed from Charleston USA on 20 September.
	The commercial shipment of plutonium between the United States and France using British registered PNTL ships is a matter between the countries and organizations involved. The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) has approved the security plan for the voyage while the ships are in international waters. We are told that these plans take full account of all relevant international standards and obligations regarding the carriage of nuclear material. We will not comment on the detail of these plans, including the arrival date at Cherbourg, which may obviously be of use to terrorists.

Temporary Agency Workers Directive

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what changes have been made in her Department's position on the Temporary Agency Workers Directive since July this year;
	(2)  what her Department's position is on the proposal for a six week qualifying period for full employment rights in the Temporary Agency Workers Directive.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The UK position remains the same in that we are supportive of the principles of the directive but that the text needs to be changed to reflect the concerns of member states.
	At the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 4 October 2004 I made it clear that the UK Government want to make progress on the directive and called upon others to join us in offering the presidency support in finding a way forward. But it was clear that many member states have difficulties with the text, including those provisions that relate to a qualifying period of six weeks. We need to find a solution that reflects the differing labour markets across the EU.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Data Protection

James Gray: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether he has received a formal notice from Commissioner Bolkestein about the conformity of the Data Protection Act 1998 with the European data protection directive.

Christopher Leslie: Yes.

Information and Communication Specialists

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many information and communication technology specialists there are in full-time employment in the Department.

David Lammy: There are 167 information and communication technology specialists in full-time employment in the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the Government of operations in Afghanistan has been to date; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Information on the costs of operations is included in the Ministry of Defence's published accounts for each year. The specific figures for Afghanistan, including both operating and Capital spend, are:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200102 222 
			 200203 311 
			 200304 36 
			 Total 569 
		
	
	It is too early as yet to provide a firm estimate for the costs in 200405.

Afghanistan

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British military personnel were stationed in Afghanistan on 1 October.

Adam Ingram: As at 1 October there were approximately 1,000 members of the British Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

Army Boards of Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rules govern the attendance of (a) independent observers, (b) family and legal representatives of the deceased and (c) accredited members of the press at Army boards of inquiry into a death; and what the boundaries of their participation are before, during and after each inquiry.

Adam Ingram: Queen's Regulations for the Army states that no member of the public or the press has a right to be present at a Board of Inquiry.
	The nominated next of kin may be given the opportunity to submit questions to the Board of Inquiry convening authority for consideration in the Terms of Reference.
	It is the Army's practice to provide the next of kin with the Opinions, Findings and Recommendations of the Board and to offer them the option of receiving a copy of the full Board of Inquiry report should they wish to see it.

Army Boards of Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many independent observers have attended an Army Board of Inquiry into the circumstances of a fatal incident in each of the past five years;
	(2)  in those instances where independent observers have attended an Army Board of Inquiry into the circumstances of a fatal incident, (a) at what rank the invitation was issued, (b) what reason was given for the invitation and (c) what the nature of their participation was;
	(3)  in what circumstances an independent observer to an Army Board of Inquiry into the circumstances of a fatal incident may be asked to comment on (a) procedural and (b) evidential matters.

Adam Ingram: None.

Army Boards of Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what circumstances the Army is obliged to delay holding a board of inquiry into a fatal incident; what his estimate is of the number of boards of inquiries that are pending; and if he will (a) list those instances in Great Britain where the delay has exceeded five years and (b) set out the reason for the delay in each case.

Adam Ingram: Under no circumstances is the Army obliged to delay convening a Board of Inquiry (BOI). Since June 2004, a BOI must convene within 48 hours of an incident occurring. The Board must be adjourned if a criminal prosecution is likely and it cannot be reconvened until criminal proceedings have concluded.
	There are currently 86 BOIs at various levels of completion. None has been delayed for more than five years.

Army Boards of Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Queen's Regulations for army Boards of Inquiry are; and what regulations govern (a) the purpose of a Board of Inquiry, (b) the circumstances in which a Board of Inquiry may be established, (c) who is eligible to serve on a Board of Inquiry and what ranks the members may hold and (d) the time limit between the events which give rise to a board being established and its establishment.

Adam Ingram: Guidance on the convening and conduct of inquiries is contained within The Queen's Regulations for the Army, Annex A to Chapter 5, in conjunction with the provisions of the Army Act 1955; Boards of Inquiry (Army) Rules 1956; and Regimental Inquiry Regulations 1956.
	The purpose of any Service Board of Inquiry (BOI) into an incident is to ascertain what went wrong and why, in order to prevent a recurrence. It is not to apportion blame. A BOI may be established for any unnatural death or serious injury, or any other matter which the Convening Authority considers should be investigated.
	The President will be an officer not below the rank of Captain. There will be a minimum of two other officers, each of whom will be either an officer or warrant officer, or a person not subject to military law but who is in the service of the Crown.
	Boards are now convened within 48 hours of an incident occurring.

Chinook HC1 Helicopter

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the airworthiness review of the Chinook HC1 helicopter was conducted; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 12 October 2004
	The Chinook HC1 Airworthiness Review was completed in August 1992 as part of an internal audit process. The review formed the first part of a process designed to address the integrity of the RAF's management of airworthiness and maintenance practices for the Chinook. I will place a copy of the review in the Library of the House.

Departmental Records Office

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanism he has put in place to monitor the performance of TNT at the former Departmental Records Office, Bourne Avenue, Hayes; and what system is in place to receive and record complaints about performance.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence has set up a Contract Management Team (CMT) to monitor the services provided by TNT to all the Departments involved at the former Departmental Records Office.
	Departments should notify the CMT in writing of any TNT performance complaints. Each complaint is logged and passed to the TNT Customer Service Helpdesk Supervisor. TNT investigate the complaint and report back to the concerned department and the CMT with their findings, including a full resolution and/or process change requirement. The CMT reviews all outstanding complaints with the TNT Customer Service Supervisor daily, and monitors their progress until a successful resolution is determined. Once a resolution has been communicated to the relevant Department, the CMT follows up the resolution to ensure a satisfactory conclusion.
	In addition to the processes mentioned above, the CMT and representatives of the TNT Management Team hold monthly update meetings with all departments involved to discuss TNT's service performance.